In today’s post I’ll try to update you on what is transpiring militarily on all fronts. I don’t know how much true news you get in your countries- most of the emails I get have great questions which I shall eventually address. Others are from people who are in the States and start out “We’ve never seen eye to eye politically, but…”

There are those Americans (yes, most Jewish) who express a strong dislike for the Netanyahu government and what they perceive his/Israel’s political ideology to be. It is difficult for me to comprehend how one not living here can advocate for a political ideology as if this war was solely being fought for political gain. Or to suggest that this is all a pre-planned CIA/Mossad special ops to divert attention from other events in the world. At this time, the war effort is solely focused on tasks at hand: to eliminate the Hamas operatives; free the captives; provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Southern Gaza. It is improper to point fingers of blame. Israel will dig into all unanswered questions at the military tribunal immediately following this war.

As our dear friend Gabi stated last night, “One must wonder what aspects of unacceptable human moral behavior exactly requires clarification.” Invading a foreign country in a planned military operation for the sole purpose of inflicting civilian casualties; instilling fear; committing heinous atrocities and acts of barabarism against newborns and pre-borns, women and elderly and kidnapping all of these groups while filming and streaming live constitutes war crimes of the highest magnitude.

As for the Gaza front: despite being asked by the US to delay or halt a full-scale military operation – boots on the ground – into Gaza, Israel began its actions Saturday night by entering Northern Gaza with heavy armored machinery. Targeted air strikes continued to take out any buildings known to be a place from where Hamas operates.

One young female soldier, Cpl. Ori Megidish was rescued from Hamas operatives at a house in N Gaza. She had been kidnapped from the Nahal Oz base on 7 October. She was freed Saturday night by IDF and Shin Bet Special Ops forces and was being held alone. She is in good condition and has been reunited with her family.

Also on Saturday night, land sea and air bombardment of Hamas targets provided cover for ground forces to partially enter Gaza from the North. They are now fully entrenched. In response to the escalation of military activity, Israel once again used radio, television and phone to communicate with any civilians the need to move to the South. Egypt has adamantly refused to accept any of the Palestinian refugees into their territory. No other Arab country has agreed to accept any displaced persons wishing to exit Gaza. As of this morning 100 semi trucks per day of aid (food, medicine, diapers, hygiene products) are allowed to enter Gaza from the Kerem Shalom checkpoint in Israel. Water and electricity are also on during the day in Southern Gaza….supplied by Israel.

Israel has declared all of N Gaza an active combat zone. From extensive mapping and intelligence plus detailed information obtained by the captured Hamas terrorists, a full scale mapping of the Metro, the underground Hamas terror tunnel system is being assembled. It was confirmed that the main meeting rooms for commandos, plus bunkers for weapons and food storage as well as entrances and exits from the tunnel system are directly underneath the Shifa Medical Center complex. This is a war crime: using innocent civilians and hospitalized as human shields and intimidation of medical personnel.

IDF troops in Gaza has advanced beyond open fields and have entered urban areas. Specific military action is being withheld due to operational defensive secrecy for the safety of the troops. Also, military information has in the past, been given to foreign dignitaries and then, surprisingly released to the press. Learning from the past, it will not happen this time. The two main general army guidelines are to keep moving while proceeding cautiously without lingering in any one spot. The unit is to avoid prolonged gunfire with terrorists; location noted, secured, cleared of IDF troops and within moments will be taken out.

Still, overnight the IDF lost nine soldiers, 7 from the Givati brigade. Many of the buildings left in N Gaza and all the entrances to the tunnel systems have been extensively booby trapped. This type of urban warfare is a dangerous and tedious process. We were told in advance to expect many casualties (still I’m praying divine angelic protection for our soldiers).

Also last night, as reported by IDF spokesperson Jonathan Konricus, the N Gaza tunnel system, the IDF struck 300 targets, which included anti-tank missile launch sites, rocket launch posts, and underground military compounds belonging to Hamas. This has resulted in the elimination of dozens of terrorists, including the commander of Hamas’s Beit Lahia battalion, Nasim Abu Ajina, who played a pivotal role in the October 7 attacks on Israeli communities.

“IDF troops commanded by the Givati Brigade operated in a Hamas military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip and killed approximately 50 terrorists, while in parallel, ground troops in Gaza are continuing counterterrorism activities,” the IDF said.

The military stronghold is located in western Jabaliya and was used by the Commander of Hamas’s Jabaliya Battalion for training and the execution of terror activities. The area contains firing positions; terror tunnels used by terror operatives as a passageway to the coast; and a large stock of weapons used by the terrorists.

“During the activity in the military stronghold, the soldiers killed a number of terrorists in the course of combat, and an IDF aircraft killed additional terrorists. The forces in the area destroyed entrances to terror tunnels, weapons and military equipment. In addition, the soldiers located intelligence documents in the compound. At the end of the activity, the forces secured the compound,” said military spokesman Jonathan Konricus.

According to Hamas, 50 innocent Palestinians were killed in the bombing when the ground collapsed underneath them. The IDF had warned all refugees to move south or to group and radio their desire to surrender to the Israeli forces. They did neither. For some reason they were situated atop a massive network of underground tunnels and bunkers…….

The Hamas battalion commander, Ibrahim Biari, killed in airstrikes, was one of the leaders responsible for sending special Hamas Nakba terrorist operatives into Israel to carry out the murderous terror attacks throughout southern Israel on Oct. 7. “Numerous Hamas terrorists were hit in the strike,” the IDF said.

On the Southern border at the Red Sea. Houthi rebels from Yemen have officially announced that they are in the war with Israel. They fired several missiles at Eilat on Friday and Sunday, all of which were intercepted. Yesterday two Cruze missiles were effectively intercepted and destroyed by the newly developed Israeli Arrow anti-ballistic missile system. It was the first time this new technology was used in defensive combat, and proved successful in taking out long range missiles in the upper atmosphere. Had these missiles not been destroyed, they would have hit targets in Tel Aviv and Haifa.

My son, Max, sent us this meme today. it’s been making the rounds amongst his army buddies: the top reads in Hebrew “Houthis” the bottom says “Israel.”

On the Northern front. We get ‘knocking on the door’ every afternoon just before sunset from our Hizbulla neighbors in Lebanon. They fire their missiles at different locations across the Northern Border from Rosh haNikra to Metulla. The IDF destroyed targets belonging to the Hizbulla terror organization in southern Lebanon throughout Sunday night, after around 20 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israel on Sunday.

The multiple barrages set off siren alerts in various towns across northern Israel, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Shlomi, Rosh Pina, Ayelet HaShahar and Hatzor HaGlilit and the Bedouin town of Tuba-Zangariyya, One of the rockets hit a house in Kiryat Shmona, resulting in considerable damage but no injuries.

An IDF tank overturned killing one soldier and injuring three. All civilians in Israel within 6 kilometers of the Lebanese border have been evacuated to hotels and guest homes further south.

Hizbulla and the Farj Forces, an Islamist group with connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, took responsibility for those attacks. It is being reported that the Maronite Christian and Druze communities are putting intense pressure on the Lebanese government to stop Hizbulla control over Southern Lebanon. Already, much of the Lebanese civilian population is fleeing northward to escape a possible escalation in the war.

Ground operations continue by the IDF in the Samarian (West Bank) city of Jenin. Since the 1920s Jenin has been a bastion of terrorism exported throughout Israel. Numerous illegal weapons caches both manufactured in Jenin and smuggled in from Jordan were confiscated. 58 terrorists were arrested, 39 were Hamas members. Also found were piles of US dollars totaling over $600,000 and bags of drugs.

As for the immediate home front I’m still battling an infection. After bloodwork and other lab test today, the antibiotic I’m taking should be changed. John is currently fighting off a terrorist invasion into our rooftop garden of militias of aphids. He’s spraying the broccoli and radishes with Castile soap solution daily. The rutabagas have been declared a total loss. The radishes culled and saved. A huge bowl was harvested and 4 pints pickled. The rest were used in the vegetable pasta salad delivered to soldiers in the field.

Fadi Marc succumbed to his wounds yesterday. His father, a rabbi, was shot by terrorists in Judaea in front of his eyes when he was 12. Fadi Marc lost his 1st cousin during the Hamas massacre of civilians on Oct. 7. (Baruch Dayan Emet)