Bruria Efune
I’m Bruria Efune, a Chabadnik living in Be’er Sheva. In normal life I’m the co-founder of a new yishuv called Ohr Chabad—which is about to start construction, and I write for chabad.org’s news section.
I’ve lived here for almost 10 years, through several intensive and rocket-heavy operations. In my experience, it’s important not to be glued to the news at times like this, and not to expose yourself to horrors any more than necessary. That’s why I started writing daily summaries of what’s going on. I also occasionally share my own perspective of what it’s like living in southern Israel during war, and the efforts I’m involved in.
ט׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 9, 2025
Hostages: The IDF announced that they recovered the body of hostage Youssef Ziyadne, 53. His body was found in a tunnel in Rafah, Southern Gaza, and brought back to Israel for identification. The IDF had previously operated in the area...
ח׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 8, 2025
Negotiations are either progressing, or going nowhere, depending on who you listen to. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan held a press conference in Algeria today and very clearly stated Hamas’s conditions for a deal: Complete IDF withdrawal and ceasefire, thousands...
ז׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 7, 2025
Hostages: Negotiations are ongoing for a deal which would release only some of the hostages. Hamas is still refusing to say which and how many of the hostages will be alive. While Hamas claims to not know the status of...
ו׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 6, 2025
Hostages: On Shabbat, Hamas released a cruel propaganda video showing signs of life from hostage Liri Albag, 19. Her family has asked that people do not share the video or photos from it. Reuters reported on Hamas’s word that they...
ג׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 3, 2025
Hostages: After some hints at progress with Hamas, Israel sent a negotiating team back to Qatar. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Deputy Secretary-General told media: “I believe we have come close to achieving a prisoner exchange deal, even if only...
א׳ בטבת ה׳תשפ״ה – January 1, 2025
Hostages: Hamas’s newest demand: a seven day ceasefire, so that they can check which hostages are still alive, and where they are. Gaza: Thank G-d, the IDF didn’t announce any fallen heroes today. In the afternoon, Hamas launched a...
ל׳ בכסלו ה׳תשפ״ה – December 31, 2024
Hostages: Kann 11 reported that Hamas is now refusing to release any live hostages in the deal, and is instead offering the bodies of 12 hostages who are no longer alive. While Israel and other negotiators keep expressing optimism about...
כ״ח בכסלו ה׳תשפ״ה – December 29, 2024
Hostages: The Israeli Ministry of Health released a new report about the treatment of hostages who have since been rescued from Gaza. I will not detail the horrors here, but just note that it is way worse than originally thought....
כ״ח בכסלו ה׳תשפ״ה – December 29, 2024
It’s time to tell you about our friend, David Eliyahu, who recently celebrated his 77th birthday in the IDF reserves. We just met up with David at a chanukah party with his unit, on the Gaza border. He had met...
כ״ו בכסלו ה׳תשפ״ה – December 27, 2024
Hostages: After high hopes earlier this month, there is no longer any optimism of a hostage deal coming through at this time. While Hamas tries to pin the blame on Netanyahu, they still won’t even provide a list of which...
