Hostage Updates:

The hostages have now been in captivity for 300 days.

Iran & Proxies Attack Updates:

According to a report on Axios, the U.S. is certain that Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza will attack imminently—before the weekend is over.

Airspace is closed in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and most of Iraq. Most international airlines cancelled flights to Israel over the weekend, but El Al is still flying.

Homefront command instructions remain the same for most of Israel, though civilians are asked to remain vigilant. Most areas have opened public bomb shelters, and hospitals, especially in the north, have prepared for evacuation to underground shelter, as well as food and supplies stockpiles, and cyber defenses. Factories in the north were instructed to limit stockpiles of highly flammable or explosive materials.

The IDF is on high alert with troops on standby on all fronts. Leave was cancelled for all IDF combat, Navy, and Air Force units.

After a late-night call between Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Biden, the White House announced that it has made new defensive military deployments to help Israel if its attacked by Hezbollah and Iran. Earlier today, the Washington Post reported that at least 12 American warships were deployed to the Mideast, including an aircraft carrier, destroyers, and amphibious task force with over 4,000 Marines and sailors.

The U.S., while also emphasizing the preference for a diplomatic solution, have made it clear that they will assist Israel in combating the Iranian threat. This display of solidarity and strength is also meant to act as a deterrence to Iran.

While Hamas’s capabilities are near null, Iran is feeling the vengeance for Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh on their soil. Israel continues to avoid taking credit, and when asked about it, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari responded “We struck on Tuesday night in Lebanon and killed Fuad Shukr in an accurate aerial strike. I want to emphasize, there was no other aerial strike, not a missile and not an Israeli drone, in the entire Middle East that night, and I won’t comment further.”

The New York Times reports according to U.S. intelligence reports that Haniyeh was eliminated by a sophisticated AI powered bomb, that was smuggled into the Tehran guest house months in advance of Haniyeh’s visit. The bomb was controlled remotely, and once Haniyeh was confirmed to be in the room, it was triggered by a local Mossad agent. The circumstances are extremely embarrassing for Iran, and should also have them very concerned.

Meanwhile, the feeling in Israel is surprisingly calm. 300 days into the war, Israelis may have grown tired of being on alert. People have put food and water in their bomb shelters, and prepared the basics, but few are panicking. Shops and summer attractions still bustled with people throughout the day.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas has still not successfully fired rockets at Israeli communities since Sunday. IDF drone strikes destroyed launchers in Khan Younis that were primed for attack.

Three divisions of IDF troops are currently operating in Gaza: the 99th Division along the Netzarim Corridor, and on pinpoint operations in parts of Northern Gaza and neighborhoods of Gaza City; the Gaza Division in the buffer zone; and the 162nd Division in Rafah and along the Philadelphi Corridor. The IAF struck around 35 Hamas targets in Gaza over the last day, including cells of terrorists, and buildings being used by terror groups.

A precision airstrike hit a group of around a dozen Hamas terrorists who were hiding at the Dalal School in Shejaiya, Gaza City. The IDF says it took many steps to mitigate harm to civilians.

The IDF confirmed that a drone strike in Gaza City yesterday eliminated Al Jazeera reporter Ismail Alghoul, and explained that the Al Jazeera reporter was a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force, and participated in the October 7th attack. Alghoul also taught and instructed other terrorists to film the attacks, and distribute it as psychological warfare. The IDF and Shin Bet emphasized that they will attack and eliminate every terrorist who played a role in the October 7th attack. Al Jazeera cameraman, Ramy El-Rify, was also killed in the airstrike.

Hamas terrorists continue to target the Netzarim Corridor, which is the primary base preventing Hamas from reestablishing control. Troops in the corridor continue to locate and eliminate the terrorists who are firing at them, and called in a few drone strikes today to assist in eliminating number of terrorist gunmen.

In Rafah, IDF troops are carrying out raids in the Tel Sultan neighborhood, and called an airstrike to destroy a building in which Hamas terrorists were operating.

Weeks after the airstrike, today the IDF confirmed that Muhammad Deif, the commander of Hamas’s military wing and one of the architects of the October 7th attack, was successfully eliminated.

Gaza Humanitarian Efforts Updates:

Since the start of the war, the IDF’s COGAT division facilitated the entry of over 70,000 tons of shelter equipment into Gaza. This includes over 280,000 tents enough for over 2 million people people to various aid organzaions in Gaza. Today, 15 trucks carrying 4,500 tents were offloaded on the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom.

On July 31st:

Here are some of the humanitarian efforts for July 31:

173 trucks carrying humanitarian goods were transferred to Gaza, including 8 UNICEF trucks carried baby formula and food with extra nutrients.
170 trucks were collected by the private sector from the Kerem Shalom Crossing, only 29 trucks were collected by the UN aid agencies. Over 550 trucks are still waiting to be collected from the Gazan side of Kerem Shalom.

6 tankers of cooking gas were transferred to Gaza.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah attacked Israel’s far north for the first time in 48 hours since the elimination of military chief Fuad Shukr. Several rockets were intercepted, and others landed in open areas. No physical injuries were reported.

The IDF shelled Hezbollah positions along the border, and hot Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon.

In a eulogy at the funeral of Shukr, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened that the war has entered a “new phase” and Hezbollah’s response will begin tomorrow (Friday), and will no longer be symbolic.

An unsourced Channel 12 report said that Israel passed the message to Hezbollah that if they aim at civilian targets, Israel will move to a broad and unconstrained war. Until now, Hezbollah has been claiming to aim only at military targets, despite killing 25 Israeli civilians. Israel has largely been limiting retaliation to airstrikes and shelling on Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon.

Judea and Samaria Updates:

The IDF detained 24 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror groups in overnight raids across Judea and Samaria. Since October 7, the IDF has arrested around 4,400 wanted people, of which more than 1,850 affiliated with Hamas, and the remaining with other terror groups.

General Updates:

Israel’s Defense Ministry has entered into a significant NIS 1.5 billion ($340 million) agreement with the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems to supply ammunition and munitions for the military.

Under the agreement, Elbit Systems will also set up a new factory to produce the weaponry.

The ministry states that this procurement aligns with its “strategy to ensure a steady supply of critical materials for the IDF’s strength and longevity during ongoing and future operations.”

This comes as one of several initiatives, both government and civilian, to ensure that the IDF does not need to rely on external sources for ammunition in the future.