War Day 544: Hamas Ignores Israel’s Hostage-Ceasefire Deal as IDF Intensifies Offensive in Gaza and Syria

• Hamas Rejects Ceasefire Deal: Hamas has refused to respond to Israel’s counterproposal for a hostage-ceasefire agreement, claiming Israel sabotaged the deal that could have seen 1-5 hostages released. They have not outright rejected it but have ignored it for now.
• Sirens in Sderot and Surrounding Areas: Sirens were activated in Sderot and nearby towns after rockets were fired. The Iron Dome intercepted two rockets, and no injuries were reported. The IDF issued evacuation warnings for parts of Gaza.
• Rafah Offensive: The IDF has initiated an aggressive operation to take the city of Rafah, expanding their territorial push and targeting Hamas positions. The IDF’s 36th Division is spearheading the offensive, aiming to cut off Rafah from Khan Younis through a new security corridor.
• Morag Corridor to Split Gaza: Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the establishment of the “Morag Corridor,” which will separate Rafah from Khan Younis, strengthening Israel’s security buffer zone and potentially annexing Rafah permanently if hostages are not returned.
• Significant Reduction in Ramadan Attacks: The IDF reported a significant decrease in terror attacks during Ramadan, with an 80% drop compared to previous years, citing 27 attacks in total.
• Heavy Strikes in Syria: Israel launched extensive airstrikes on military bases in Syria, including Hama and T4 airbase, to eliminate military threats and infrastructure. This comes amid concerns over potential Houthi and Iranian-backed forces regrouping in Syria.
• Ongoing Tensions with Yemen: The U.S. continues to conduct nightly strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, part of ongoing efforts to target terrorist organizations in the region.

April 2, 2025

59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,828 Israelis killed.
413 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,698 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
20,000 Israelis estimated displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

• Hamas not taking the hostage-ceasefire deal
• Sirens in Sderot and area
• Rafah takeover begins with heavy activity
• IDF will establish the Morag Corridor, cutting off Rafah
• 80% less attacks this Ramadan
• Heavy airstrikes in Syria, signals to Al-Julani and Erdogan

Hostages:

AL Jazeera reported that Hamas has decided not to respond to Israel’s counterproposal. Hamas instead chooses to claim that Israel sabotaged the deal Hamas accepted, which would release only 1-5 living hostages.

For now, they did not outright refuse the deal, only ignore it.

Gaza:

Shortly before 3 p.m., sirens were activated in the Israeli border town of Kisufim, due to a “hostile aircraft.” The IDF later updated that the incident ended with no injures, but no further details were given.

Shortly after 9 p.m., sirens were activated in the border city of Sderot and nearby towns. Two rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome. No physical injuries were reported.

Following the launch, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for the Beit Hanoun and Jabalia area, from where the rockets were launched. Beit Hanoun has already received multiple warnings, and heavy bombing, but still contains some strong Hamas terrorists and supporters.

The pressure has been significantly raised in Gaza, and the next phase of battle began. After a night of over 50 airstrikes against Hamas targets in Rafah, the IDF’s 36th Division began an aggressive push forward to take the entire city. Remember: the 36th Division is typically used for capturing territory at a dramatic pace, especially territory not taken before, which will be the case here. The IDF previously operated in Rafah, but stayed towards the southern end, and never entered the area between Rafah and Khan Younis.

Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that the IDF is on the way to establishing a new, third corridor, called the “Morag Corridor.” The Morag Corridor will separate Rafah from Khan Younis, and create an additional security buffer to prevent Hamas smuggling from Egypt. Netanyahu described it as a second Philadelphi Corridor. Combined with the Netzarim Corridor, this will split Gaza into three sections. Netanyahu hinted that the entire Rafah might be integrated into Israel’s security buffer zone, and permanently taken from Gaza, if the hostages are not returned soon enough.

While the 36th Division forges ahead, the Gaza Division (143) is continuing with the more thorough work they started earlier, clearing out areas in Rafah. After completing the encirclement of the Tel Sultan neighborhood, they began focused raids and searches. So far, they eliminated dozens of terrorists, and located and destroyed dozens of weapons and buildings used by the terrorists. In one of the buildings, the troops found a launcher aimed at Israel. Troops also arrested suspected Hamas terrorists for further investigations. (These soldiers are part of the unit we are currently running a fundraiser for.)

Hamas is still attempting to broach the security buffer zone, with no success. One terrorist was swiftly eliminated today while trying to do so in the southern section.

The buffer zone is also being further expanded in Northern Gaza, though at a more subtle rate.

The IDF carried out a targeted strike in the Jabaliya area, hitting a Hamas command and control complex. The Jabaliya battalion was using the complex to meet and plan attacks. The complex was in a building where civilians were sheltering, in a typical practice of Hamas to use human shields. The IDF went to great lengths, surveilling the area for the optimal moment and precision lines, in order to reduce the chance of harming civilians in the strike.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told troops that the IDF will continue to expand operations in Gaza, and deepen the pace, adding, “The only thing that can stop us from continuing to advance is the release of our hostages.”

Food shortages are beginning in Gaza. Flour is running out in many places, but Hamas still has plenty, because they stole from the UNRWA warehouses. Footage surfaced today of Gazans raiding the warehouse, and running off with sacks of flour in turn.

Although slightly subdued, due to Hamas killing off protest leaders, Gazans are still gathering to rally against Hamas, and calling for them to leave. Hamas is not as powerful as they once were, and are having a hard time quelling the dissidents.

Hamas quietly removed 3,400 names from its list of deaths during the war in Gaza, of which a third were children. Now, according to Hamas’s own (still unreliable) data, 72% of deaths are men of combat age, which in Gaza, is 13-55. (Source: Post, The Telegraph, Honest Reporting)

Judea & Samaria:

The month of Ramadan usually means a sharp rise of terror attacks in Israel. Thank G-d, that didn’t happen this year. As Ramadan comes to an end, the IDF gave stats on counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria during the month-long holiday.

• 401 wanted terrorists were arrested
• 13 terrorists were eliminated
• 105 weapons were confiscated
• 27 terror attacks occurred (not counting small rock-throwing attacks), of which 22 were in the Samaria region (north), and 5 in the Judea region (south, Hebron area)

In total, this made for an 80% decrease in attacks compared to the previous Ramadan.

Lebanon:

Defense Minister Katz again stated that the IDF will stay in the five strategic points in Lebanon indefinitely, in order to protect the residents of Israeli border towns.

Syria:

Late at night, the IDF carried out particularly heavy attacks to destroy remaining military capabilities in Syrian military bases in Hama and T4 (aka, Tiyas Military Airbase). Targets included runways, fuel depots, and radars at the air bases.

Further strikes targeted military infrastructure in the Damascus area, left by the Assad regime.

The airstrikes in T4 follow rumors that Turkey had intentions to take over the strategic airbase, which would make a strategic nightmare for Israel.

Israel is also concerned about Hamas and PIJ terrorists rearming after being released from Assad’s prisons, and preparing plans to attack Israel.

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that Israel recently sent a stern message to Syria’s new president, Al-Jolani, threatening that: “If he allows any actor to alter the situation in Syria in a way that threatens Israel, he will pay heavily.”

Yemen:

The U.S. is continuing to strike the Houthis in Yemen with intense nightly attacks.

California:

G-d willing, I may be coming to speak in California at the end of May. If you’re interested in booking me to speak to your community, please contact Chaya Schechter, at 917-921-2370.

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