War Day 571: UNIFIL Proving Ineffective, Egyptian Smuggling Continues

Thousands of IDF reservists notified of upcoming call-up, three key terrorists eliminated in Gaza, weapons and terrorists arrested throughout Judea and Samaria, UNIFIL proving useless, clashes between Syrians and Syrian Druze, Houthi drone intercepted, Egyptian smuggling a problem, and ICC issuing arrests without announcements in order to trap Israelis.

59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,832 Israelis killed.
417 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
87 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,720 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Thousands of IDF reservists notified of upcoming call-up
– Three key terrorists eliminated in Gaza
– Weapons and terrorists arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
– UNIFIL proving useless
– Clashes between Syrians and Syrian Druze
– Houthi drone intercepted
– Egyptian smuggling a problem
– ICC issuing arrests without announcements—in order to trap Israelis

Hostages:

There are no updates about the hostages. While Egypt continues efforts to make a deal, Hamas remains stubborn about remaining armed—making it impossible to come to an agreement.

Gaza:

The IDF notifies thousands of reservists that they will soon be called to report for duty. This is in preparation for a significant escalation in Gaza, to put more intense pressure on Hamas to release the hostages. Expect there to be a reshuffling of forces, where newly reporting reservists will take over positions in the north, and special forces from the north will be brought to fight in Gaza.

For now, soldiers in Gaza are continuing with the “slow but steady” method, destroying Hamas infrastructure, and leaving nothing standing.

The IDF and Shin Bet are continuing with targeted eliminations, and with hunting down every last October 7th terrorist. Some top terrorist eliminations from recent days were announced, including:

• Ali Nadal Hasani Tserfiti, a key terrorist from the “Popular Front” (PFLP). Tserfiti served a long prison sentence in Israel, from 2002 to 2015, for a series of terror attacks he planned, including a suicide attack (by someone else). After he was released, he continued his terror activities, and has also been in contact with terrorists in Judea and Samaria, and is known to have transfered millions of shekel to them.
• Said Amin Said Abu Hasnain, a Nukhba terrorist from Hamas’s Deir al-Balah Brigade, who raided and commanded the raid on the Kisufim in the massacre on October 7.
• Mustafa Youssef Al-Abd Matuk, an operations officer of Hamas’s Jabaliya Battalion, who led terrorist plots against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip.

Judea & Samaria:

The IDF operated overnight across Judea and Samaria.

In the Yehuda region, troops located three handguns, an M16 rifle, and tens of thousands of shekels in terror funds, and arrested a suspect.

In other areas, including Jenin, troops arrested 24 individuals wanted for terrorism.

Lebanon:

According to the Alma Research and Education Center, Hezbollah maintains strong influence in Southern Lebanon while UNIFIL remains ineffective. Two recent incidents illustrate this problem.

In Tayr Debba, young men on motorcycles blocked UNIFIL vehicles and verbally abused the soldiers, forcing their retreat. In Jmaijmeh, locals prevented UNIFIL access while accusing them of collaborating with Israel. In both cases, residents insisted UNIFIL could only enter with Lebanese army accompaniment. Alma believes this recurring demand stems from Hezbollah directives, as the group promotes a false narrative of UNIFIL-Israeli collaboration and prefers coordinating with the Lebanese army for more convenient “enforcement” of their control over the region.

Syria:

Minor fighting continues between Druze communities in Southern Syria (just outside Israel’s buffer zone), and the new Syrian forces. Israel is monitoring the situation closely.

Yemen:

At 11:00 p.m., the IDF intercepted a UAV (attack drone) which was launched by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel. The threat was destroyed before entering Israel, and as per protocol, no sirens were activated in Israel.

Iran:

Israel’s defense establishment is growing increasingly concerned that the U.S. will reach a nuclear agreement with Iran, which may not be strong enough (Kan 11). While earlier, chances of an agreement were thought to be slim, defense officials now see the likelihood of an agreement to be higher than the likelihood of there not being one.

The political and security cabinets will be meeting on Sunday to discuss.

Other:

— IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir gave an impassioned speech at the memorial candle-lighting ceremony at the Western Wall this evening.

A brief excerpt:

“We must remember – we are in a multi-front war for the very existence of the [modern] State of Israel. Iran and its proxies started the war. They seek to eliminate the Zionist idea and deny us the right to live here as a free and sovereign people. Our enemies have misjudged our response. Likewise, Hamas is mistaken in our determination to return the kidnapped men and women and to defeat it. The two missions are intertwined. We will continue and intensify our activities until we complete both.

“As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces, standing here at the foot of the stones of the Western Wall, I swear, together with all IDF soldiers, to continue to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to us: to defend the State of Israel and ensure our right to live here forever – in a safe and prosperous country.”

• Last night, IDF surveillance identified a drone attempting to smuggle weapons from Egyptian territory into Israeli territory. The drone was brought down by IDF forces.
• The drone was found to be carrying ten M16 rifles and ammunition.
• Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, is reportedly preparing to issue new arrest warrants against Israelis for alleged “war crimes” in what the court terms “occupied Palestinian territories,” according to the British Guardian. The newspaper reports these warrants may be kept sealed to prevent suspects from avoiding arrest, representing a significant escalation in the ICC’s actions regarding Israel.
• Hungary’s Parliament has voted to withdraw from the ICC, claiming the institution has lost both its impartiality and credibility.

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