Hostages:
A senior Israeli official told Israel Hayom that talk of an imminent deal is incorrect. The official says that communication with Hamas is slow and weak, it’s unclear whether Hamas abroad and Hamas in Gaza are on the same page, and that Hamas is increasing their demands.
Earlier, Qatar had left the negotiations table, and talks were taking place in Egypt. After U.S. President-elect Trump threatened Hamas, it appeared that the terrorists were willing to make a deal. Hamas showed signs of conceding on the issues of the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors, and not ending the war. Qatar then returned to negotiations, and talks were moved back to Doha. Almost immediately after, Hamas reinstated their earlier demands.
Reports now say that Hamas did not supply a full list of hostages who are alive and will be released in the first phase of the deal, indicating that Hamas might not even know where all the hostages are. Hamas is also demanding that the IDF withdraw from both the Philedalphi and Netzarim Corridors, return control of the Rafah crossing to Hamas, and allow Gazans to freely return to the north of the strip, and a guarantee for a full end to the war.
Israel has made it clear that no deal will include the end of the war, or a complete evacuation of the corridors.
The current deal being discussed includes the release of 250 Hamas terrorists from prison, including many who are serving life sentences for murderous terror attacks.
According to an Egyptian media source, Israel gave a list of 34 hostages it wants released in the first phase. Of these, 11 don’t fit in the “humanitarian” category (i.e., sick, elderly, children, and non IDF women). Hamas is demanding that hundreds more terrorists be released in exchange for including those 11 on the list.
There is still no deal being discuss that brings all the hostages home, not even all the hostages who are still alive. In my own opinion, this will not happen so long as Qatar is in the picture and not treated as the terror partner that they are.
Gaza:
On Monday, three IDF heroes fell in battle in Beit Hanoun, Northern Gaza:
Cpt. Ilay Gavriel Atedgi, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin
Staff Sgt. Netanel Pessach, 21, from Elazar
Sgt. First Class (res.) Hillel Diener, 21, from Talmon.
The soldiers were killed by an explosive device laid by Hamas terrorists. These booby-traps are now the main threat to IDF troops, as the few remaining terrorists lay them everywhere they can.
On Thursday, a drone entered Israel from the Gaza Strip. It was intercepted by the IAF, and no injuries were caused.
There are currently tree divisions operating in Gaza. The 162nd Division is in Northernmost Gaza, particularly the Jabaliya area. The 99th Division is in the Netzarim Corridor, which has expanded to around 47 square kilometers (18 square miles), and is used to launch small-scale operations in Gaza City, Central Gaza, and Khan Younis. The 143rd Division (aka the Gaza Division) is operating in Rafah, along the Philadelphi Corridor, and in the buffer zone which stretches along the length Gaza’s border with Israel.
Combat is mainly focused on Northernmost Gaza, where troops started off in Jabalia’s urban area, and then moved into Beit Lahiya, before this week turning focus into Beit Hanoun. The three cities are Hamas favorites for regrouping, partially due to the massive advantage they have in the densely built urban neighborhoods, where they can hide traps in every corner. Troops are also still finding tunnels under these cities. Before troops entered Beit Hanoun, the IAF targeted several buildings being used by Hamas.
Despite Hamas’s intense advantages, IDF troops successfully disbanded Hamas’s regroups in Jabalia and Beit Lahiya. The cities now mostly lay in ruins, due to Hamas’s strategy of laying explosive traps in almost every building and corner, which forces the IDF to destroy them.
Since Thursday, the IDF has carried out a few significant airstrikes in Gaza:
– On Thursday, an airstrike targeted a group of terrorists in a Hamas command center in Gaza City. The commander center was embedded inside the al-Karama and Shaaban schools in the Tuffah neighborhood. The schools were being used as shelters for civilians. The IDF used precision munitions, intelligence, and surveillance in order to mitigate harm to civilians.
– On Friday, the IDF announced that troops demolished three tunnels, totaling 7.5 kilometers, under northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya. In one of the tunnels, troops found IDF equipment which was stolen by Hamas on October 7th, as ell as maps of Israeli border towns, and weapons.
– On Sunday, an IDF airstrike targeted a group of Hamas terrorists in the Musa Bin Nusair school in Gaza City. This was again an instance of Hamas using a school-turned-shelter as a terrorism command center. Again, the IDF took extreme measures to mitigate harm to civilians.
Later, the Shin Bet announced that Tharwat Muhammad Ahmad al-Bayk, head of the security directorate in Hamas’s General Security Service, was eliminated in this airstrike. Al-Bayk was a main link in Hamas’s intelligence operations, and office which organizes security and hidden shelter for Hamas’s leaders in Gaza.
– An airstrike eliminated a Hamas terrorist who was acting from within the designated humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, Southern Gaza.
Under pressure from the Biden admin, Israel continues to send over 1,000 aid trucks to Gaza every week, most of which Hamas hijacks and uses as a lifeline for their own survival and enrichment. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump sent a message to Israel: “I won’t insist on humanitarian aid as Biden did.”
Syria:
It is still too soon to know which direction Syria will go in, and Israel is not taking any risks.
Syria’s new leader, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, claimed that he has no intent to clash with Israel. He also is not tolerating Iranian presence, and has banned Iran from using Syrian airspace, forcing the regime to divert their planes and fly over Turkey in order to reach Lebanon.
At the same time, Turkey, which had previously backed al-Julani’s rebel group, appears to be building a strong alliance with the new Syria. Erdogan of Turkey is no friend of Israel, and has a long history of on-off diplomatic relations with Israel, depending on his needs. Turkey is currently happily hostage Hamas leaders.
Israel warned al-Julani that it won’t tolerate any Jihadist presence in Southern Syria, near Israel’s borders. Israel also stated it might later transfer the buffer zone to a responsible authority, if one emerges, but will handle security itself until then.
On Friday, Syrian demonstrators from towns in the Yarmouk River basin gathered near a former Syrian army post close to the village of Ma’ariya, to protest the IDF presence. IDF troops warned the protesters not to approach, and when they continued, the troops fired warning shots in the air. Troops then identified a threat, and shot one protester in the leg.
Syria is far from a monolith—it has many ethnic groups with different beliefs. In other areas of the buffer zone, villagers and former rebel fighters surrendered massive piles of captured Syrian Army weapons to IDF troops.
Elite IDF units on a mission in Syria found the rotor head of an IDF helicopter which crashed over the Syrian mountains while on a rescue operation during the Yom Kippur War in 1974. Six crew members had been killed in the 1974 incident, and their bodies were all retrieved to Israel. This week, the IAF’s missing persons unit returned to the site in search of personal items which may be meaningful to the bereaved families.
Yemen:
At Iran’s instruction, Yemen has upped attacks on Israel. In the past year, the Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel. Most did not reach Israel, or were intercepted by Israel and allies in the region. At least six more were launched at Israel since Thursday morning.
Israel is preparing further attacks against Yemen, and many in the defense establishment are pushing for a strike on the head of the snake, aka, Iran. Both PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz have openly threatened the Houthis that they will soon go the way of Hamas and Hezbollah.
On Thursday, an IDF probe found that the missile which was launched by the Houthis overnight (Wednesday-Thursday) had only been partially intercepted. The missile’s warhead remained intact, and that was what had fallen onto the elementary school building in Ramat Gan, collapsing an entire building.
In Israel’s airstrikes on Yemen shortly after the missile attack, Israel aimed to paralyze all three ports used by the Houthis. 14 IAF fighter jets dropped over 60 munitions in the attack, and in addition to destroying the ports, targeted fuel and oil depots, two power stations, and eight tugboats used at the ports.
On Thursday morning, a drone was intercepted over the Mediterranean Sea, before entering Israeli airspace.
On Shabbat, late Friday night, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen struck a park in Tel Aviv. Multiple attempts by air defenses had failed to intercept the missile. Miraculously, in the city that never sleeps, only 16 people were lightly injured from glass shards. The IAF says that “lessons were learned” in the failed interception, and improvements will happen in future interceptions.
Later on Shabbat, a Houthi drone was intercepted after it entered Israel via the Egyptian border.
On Monday morning, Israel intercepted one Houthi drone outside of Israeli airspace, though the Houthis claimed to have launched two.
Late Monday night, or early Tuesday morning, sirens woke up the entire area surrounding Tel Aviv, from Ashdod to Herziliya, as well as some areas between (but not in) Arad and Be’er Sheva. A missile launched by the Houthis was successfully intercepted. A 60-year-old woman was severely injured after falling while running to shelter.
Iran:
Jake Sullivan, the United States National Security Advisor, voiced concern from the NSA that Iran may rapidly advance its nuclear weapons development out of a sense of weakness. Israel has also been concerned about this, and is considering strikes that will cripple Iran’s abilities.
Lebanon:
A month into the truce agreement, and it’s very questionable whether the Lebanese government is effectively removing Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon, although many former supporters are turning on the terror group, seeing their current weakness. Iran has been seen flying to Lebanon, and is possibly already rearming Hezbollah in Beirut.
Meanwhile, the IDF is still in the Lebanese villages along the Israeli border which were Hezbollah strongholds, and is continuing to search for and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure. On Thursday, the IDF reported demolishing and removing large amounts of rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, explosive devices, and an artillery piece belonging to Hebzollah.
IDF soldiers are also operating in the battered Israel border communities, where they are removing shrapnel and potentially dangerous remnants of Hezbollah missiles, so that the communities can begin to rebuild safely.
Two Arab residents of Jerusalem were arrested for spying for Hezbollah, including sending photos from the northern town of Caesarea where Prime Minister Netanyahu lives, and where his home was attacked.
Judea & Samaria:
On Thursday, an IDF drone strike in Tulkaren eliminated Tariq al-Doush, a commander in the local terror network who was being financed by Iran. Three other armed terrorists were eliminated with him.
Al-Doush headed a terror network, and actively recruited terrorists, who he armed and funded with Iranian financing. His network was responsible for several shooting attacks against IDF troops and Israeli towns in and near the Judea and Samaria borders. The Shin Bet says that he was planning larger attacks in central parts of Israel as well.
On Monday, a terrorist attempted to stab a soldier near the Hizme checkpoint. The soldier was uninjured. The terrorist was shot and brought to a hospital.
The IDF appears to be helping the Palestinian Authority (PA) in its war against the rebel terror groups which have taken over parts of the Shomron (mainly Jenin, Shechem (Nablus), and the Tulkarem area). Last week terrorists stole two PA vehicles and then paraded then through Jenin. The PA then found some unusual courage, and carried out an operation in Jenin, in which they eliminated and arrested local terrorists belonging to Hamas and the PIJ. The PA has carried out several more operations, and amongst confiscated weapons, found an RPG in the hands of a terror group.
The IDF wants the PA to continue with these operations, and reports indicate that the IDF will lend support to strengthen the PA so that they are more successful in it. There is a strong benefit in the PA carrying out these operations, in that Israel won’t have to risk IDF lives to do them. However, the risk of arms falling into the hands of terrorists, or of PA corruption shielding terrorists from Israel, is very high, and has happened too many times in the past.
Some in the IDF leadership are supporting a bid to increase permits for Palestinian Authority residents to work inside Israel. Nearly all permits were revoked after October 7th, and currently around 10,000 PA residents have work permits, mostly to work in Jewish communities and industrial zones within Judea and Samaria. Despite the risks after most Palestinians supported the October 7th attacks, and after Hamas in Gaza used work permits to spy on and map out Israeli communities, the military leaders believe that easing economic pressure will reduce terrorism.
Since October 7th, 2023, after permits were revoked, the IDF eliminated 787 terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and detained over 6,000 (including 2,350 members of Hamas). The IDF also captured 1,499 weapons smuggled into Judea and Samaria during this time.
According to newly released data from the IDF, terror attacks from PA residents, including knifings, shootings, and car-rammings, are significantly down in 2024 compared to 2023. While 2023 saw 847 such attacks, this year had just 254. In 2022 there were 342 attacks, and in 2021 there were just 91.
However, the recent attacks were far more deadly. In the 254 attacks this year, 37 Israelis were killed—a 14.5% fatality rate. In last year’s 847 attacks, 41 were killed—a 4.8% fatality rate. In 2022 it was 6.4%, and in 2021 it was a 3.3% fatality rate.
The more precise terror attacks might be attributed to heavier Iranian investment, and more arms smuggled into the hands of terrorists in Judea and Samaria.
Other:
– Kann News reports that Iranian-backed militia in Iraq have announced a halt to their attacks on Israel.
– Israel has signed its biggest-ever defense deal with Slovakia, selling them the Barak MX air defense system for 560 million euros ($2 billion). This advanced system, made by Israel Aerospace Industries, can protect against multiple aerial threats like planes, drones, and missiles, with different interceptor missiles that can reach targets up to 150 kilometers away.
– Many in Israel are very concerned about Egypt’s recent massive investments in military buildup, including a U.S. sale of $5 billion in military gear to Egypt. Egypt is not at war or under threat by anyone that would explain this buildup.
