Hostages:
As predicted: Qatar now denies expelling Hamas leaders from Doha.
Finance Minister Smotrich visited Kibbutz Nir Oz for the first time, and met with some of the families of the many hostages from the kibbutz. He told them how he feels guilty every day, and promised to do everything to bring the hostages home and return safety to the border communities.
Gaza:
The IDF announced the names of 5 heroes who fell in battle in Northern Gaza:
Maj. (res.) Itamar Levin Fridman, 34, from Eilat
Staff Sgt. Orr Katz, 20, from Ma’ale Adumim
Staff Sgt. Nave Yair Asulin, 21, from Carmit
Staff Sgt. Gary Lalhruaikima Zolat, 21, from Afula
Staff Sgt. Ofir Eliyahu, 20, from Holon
Hamas launched one rocket from northern Gaza, towards Kibbutz Kfar Aza. It was successfully intercepted. While most of the battered kibbutz remains evacuated, a few residents have returned to their homes.
IDF troops in Beit Lahiya, Northern Gaza, found and destroyed a rocket launcher which was primed and ready to attack Israeli border communities. They also found and eliminated several armed terrorists who were holed up in a building.
The IDF discovered a bag of ammunition hidden in an internal aid convoy in Gaza. The convoy was headed from the north of Gaza to the south, and was coordinated with international aid organizations. Troops halted the convoy for a search after observing suspicious behavior. The IDF did not release the name of the international aid organization responsible for the transfer.
US Secretary of State Blinken decided not to suspend military assistance to Israel, after Israel increased the amount of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza, including to Hamas in the evacuated northern tip. 900 trucks worth of aid is sitting at the Gaza side of the birder, waiting for U.N. aid organizations to pick it up.
The IDF expanded the size of the designated humanitarian zone in Gaza.
Lebanon:
Hezbollah has been working to increase their rocket launches at Israel, which now seem to average 130 per day. Most concentrate on the north of Israel, on Tuesday one launch reached the Tel Aviv areas.
On Monday, a barrage at the Haifa area included 90 rockets at once. Around 8 civillians were injured in attacks on Monday, and 6 on Sunday—including a baby.
Two people were killed after a rocket impacted their carpentry workshop in Nahariya on Tuesday: Ziv Belfer, 52, and Shimon Nejam, 54.
On Tuesday morning, an attack drone hit a preschool in the Krayot (near Haifa), with no siren warning. The teacher had moved all the children into the bomb shelter when she heard a distant siren in the next town over, right before the drone made a sudden dive towards her town. She thanks G-d for the miracle that no children were physically hurt. The building was damaged, and windows were shattered.
Hezbollah’s rockets and missiles are far more lethal than Hamas’s, and far surpasses Hamas in quantity. While most are intercepted, the shrapnel still causes damage and injuries, and the ones that do make it through, can cause disasters. The attack drones are harder to track, since they can be programmed with a misleading route, and due to their size and slower speed, are often missed by radar systems. Sirens for attack drones can last up to an hour, while the Air Force locates and destroys the drones in sky battles.
The IDF’s 36th Division has begun moving further into Southern Lebanon, where they have captured more Hezbollah positions, and located hidden rocket launchers which were being used to target Israel.
On Tuesday, the IDF gave evacuation warnings for 11 buildings in Beirut which contained Hezbollah infrastructure. The buildings were then destroyed with airstrikes. The IDF hit over 100 Hezbollah targets on Tuesday alone.
The IDF announced that after months of airstrikes, they destroyed the majority of Hezbollah’s weapons manufacturing facilities in Beirut. Many of these facilities were underneath residential areas, such as a primary factory, which was under five residential buildings—home to 50 families, and nearby a school.
The IDF also noted that the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast, in which a warehouse of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded, was Hezbollah’s responsibility. The nitrate was for use in Hezbollah’s munitions manufacturing process. The blast has killed 220 people.
Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing, but Hezbollah doesn’t agree to comply with anything that allows Israel to continue striking them, so it’s doubtful Lebanon will agree, or be able to enforce it.
New Defense Minister, Israel Katz said: “there will be no ceasefire and there will be no respite [for Hezbollah] until the goals of the war are achieved.” It’s unclear if he’s referring to any goals beyond the safe return of Israelis to their homes in the north.
Iran:
PM Netanyahu released a video in which he appears to be encouraging the people of Iran to overthrow the regime, and hints at a form of assistance in Khameini’s downfall.
Other:
– Early Monday morning, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile at Israel, triggering sirens in the Beit Shemesh and Chevron areas.
– IraqI militia are also keeping up with the drone attacks, and triggered sirens deep in the Arava and Mitzpeh Ramon, in Southern Israel. Aside from during the massive Iranian attack, this may be a first for Mitzpeh Ramon.
– Two IDF soldiers were injured (one lightly and one moderately), after a Palestinian terrorist rammed his car into them. The terrorist fled the scene, but was later found and arrested with an accomplice.
– A terrorists attempted to stab Israeli soldiers in the Shomron, but was shot and eliminated first.
– Defense sources report a drop in reservist turnout rate, from the initial astounding 150% at the beginning of the war, to something between 76% – 85%. Many reservists have been away from home serving for the majority of the year, and are struggling to continue leaving their families, businesses, or schooling for so long. Some report burnout, or a frustration at the lack of shared burden with parts of society who do not serve in the IDF.
– The new defense minister has not cancelled the IDF’s plans to send 7,000 draft orders to Charedi students, indicating that this may not have been one of the reasons Galant was removed from the position.
– Netanyahu’s too confidant, Ron Dermer, was in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, to meet President-elect Trump, and Jared Kushner. Israel wants to know what it is that Trump wants done before he enters office, and what he can/can’t be relied on for once he’s in.
