War Day 233: Attempted stabbing attack averted and elimination of Hamas leader in West Bank

War summary, day two hundred and thirty-three: Terrorist attempted to stab IDF soldiers near Beit Einun intersection, but was eliminated by reactive troops before he could do any harm, targeted airstrike eliminated Yassin Rabia, Hamas commander. West Bank,” alongside Khaled Najjar, another senior official, and in recent days troops have eliminated close to 100 armed terrorists.

By Ms. Bruria Efune

Summary of the war, day two hundred and thirty-three:

125 held captive in Gaza.
41 hostages confirmed murdered in Gaza.
112 hostages released.
19 bodies of hostages rescued.
1,525 Israelis killed.
287 soldiers fell in the battle of Gaza.
14 fallen soldiers in northern Israel.
5 soldiers fell in Judea and Samaria.
An estimated 14,000 rockets were fired into Israel.
90,000 Israelis displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity and good deeds.

Main titles:

• Mermaids in the Tel Aviv area
• Heavy fighting in Jabaliya
• Rafah airstrikes eliminate deadly Hamas commanders
• Fire in Rafah camp under investigation
• Terrorist attack foiled in Judea and Samaria

Hostage Updates:

Rumors that the IDF found the bodies of four additional hostages this weekend are unfortunately false.

Gaza Front Updates:

Hamas fired rockets at four communities on the Gaza border and 10 rockets at central Israel, triggering alarm in the Tel Aviv area and as far away as the outskirts of Netanya. Two rockets failed in Gaza, one landed in a field near Tel Aviv where it formed a crater, and the others were intercepted. Shrapnel from an interception damaged a family home in Herzilya. One person was slightly injured by shrapnel.

The rockets were launched from a civilian area in Rafah, from a site just 800 meters ahead of the IDF advances. The Israeli military had earlier predicted that Hamas might attempt to use some of its remaining long-range rockets in Rafah before the Israeli army found them. The launch sites were struck by the Air Force after the attack.

The Israeli army announced the names of two fallen heroes in northern Gaza:

Staff Sgt. Betzalel Zvi Kovach, 20, from Jerusalem
Staff Sgt. Sahar Sudaei, 20, from Tel Aviv

Four divisions of IDF troops currently operate in Gaza: the 98th Division in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, the Gaza Division in limited ad hoc operations, the 99th Division along the Netzarim Corridor and central Gaza, and the 162nd Division at Rafah. Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck terrorist targets in Gaza, including weapons depots, rocket launchers, buildings used by terrorists and terrorist cells.

Although the IDF has made significant progress in Jabaliya, the fighting remains some of the most intense since the start of the war, as troops engage in close quarters combat in narrow alleys and abandoned markets filled with hidden tunnels, caches of weapons and madmen. trapped buildings. In recent days, troops have eliminated close to 100 armed terrorists.

Also in Jabaliya, troops attacked the home of the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) North Gaza Brigade, where they found valuable intelligence documents, as well as a weapons cache. They also attacked and demolished the Hamas security headquarters, which had already been visited in December but not yet destroyed, and found other intelligence documents. In a school building they found a large number of weapons and rockets.

In Rafah, troops advanced and eliminated more than 30 armed terrorists, while carrying out extensive searches, finding tunnels and weapons stockpiles.

A targeted airstrike eliminated Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas headquarters in the “West Bank,” as well as Khaled Najjar, another senior official. Rabia has personally carried out several deadly terrorist attacks since 2001, managed the transfer of funds for various terrorist activities, and directed terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria. The airstrike, which the IDF said was carried out based on specific intelligence, took place in the Tel Sultan area, northwest of Rafah.

Shortly after the strike, a fire broke out in a nearby displaced persons camp. It is unclear whether the fire was started by the airstrike or other causes. Hamas claims 35 people were killed in the strikes and shootings (they had earlier said 50, but retracted). The Israeli military says it is aware of reports of deaths from both the strike and the fire, and will investigate – even if the strike was completely legal.

Updates on humanitarian efforts in Gaza:

127 trucks of food (on 1,806 pallets) were brought to Gaza via the JLOTS dock this week.

2,065 trucks of humanitarian aid were transferred to Gaza this week, via the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings, almost double the volume of the previous week.

The JLOTS pier has so far proven to be a very ineffective solution.

The Rafah crossing remains closed, with Egypt refusing to transfer aid there since Israel took over. Rafah residents say this has led to a significant drop in food prices, since aid now comes from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing and is no longer taxed by Egypt and Hamas.

Northern Front Updates:

Hezbollah continued to fire heavily on the far north of Israel. A man in his 40s was lightly injured in an anti-tank missile attack in Kiryat Shemona and was evacuated to hospital for treatment.

The Israeli military continued to respond with airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including targeted killings of at least five terrorists today.

Updates on Judea and Samaria:

A terrorist attempted to stab IDF soldiers near the Beit Einun intersection, but was eliminated by responsive troops before he could do any harm.

International updates:

Defense Minister Yoav Galant will send a delegation to Washington, led by Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir. Samir will meet with officials from the US Department of Defense and the Department of State to discuss strategic defense cooperation and the procurement process for Israel, in order to preserve Israel's qualitative advantage in the region.