Israel-Hamas War - What happened on day 69?

Four soldiers from the 603rd Engineering Battalion, Combat Engineering Corps, as well as an additional officer from Golani's 12th Battalion, were seriously injured in battle in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a report by the IDF.

Another three were injured in a separate battle in the southern Gaza Strip.

All were evacuated for immediate medical treatment, with their respective families informed.

IDF's 12th Battalion commander hurt in Gaza fighting

One of the injured was the lieutenant colonel and commander of the 12th Battalion, who had already replaced the previously injured commander.

This came a day after 10 IDF soldiers were killed and six were wounded, marking a series of difficult days in terms of IDF soldier casualties.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks to Israeli soldiers on December 14, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Despite those benchmarks, only 12 rocket sirens sounded on Thursday, with no hits, and many of the rockets were in the North, marking a low for rockets from Hamas in the recent time period since the late November temporary ceasefire.

There were at least three rounds of exchanges of fire between the IDF and Hezbollah in the North, with the Lebanese terror group attacking with rockets and anti-tank missiles and the IDF striking back with air strikes and artillery.

However, there were fewer public statements about escalation from the sides as the week wore on.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that it will take more than a few more months to finish off the Gaza War with Hamas.

Although this would seem to pit Israel in serious tension with the US timeframe for finishing the war in the coming weeks, the Jerusalem Post has clarified that Gallant was referring to the expected counter-insurgency stage of fighting Hamas.

In other words, Gallant and other defense officials would still stand by the end of January as an expected endpoint for the main invasion will the full volume of multiple IDF divisions involved.

Rather, even after the main invasion is considered concluded and IDF forces in Gaza are reduced to a number which can be maintained over a longer period, it has been expected that the IDF will need to fight smaller battles against insurgents for three to nine months.

The defense minister explained that Hamas had spent years creating its terror forces and infrastructure and that taking all of this vast network apart, would require much longer than the initial full invasion stage.

Gallant thanked the US "for its unqualified support."

Sullivan is visiting Israel at a critical point in the conflict with the Biden administration seeking to decide how much longer it will go on protecting Israel from global pressure for an immediate ceasefire. In addition, the two governments have engaged in a series of unusually public jabs at each other about if and to what extent the Palestinian Authority will be involved in running Gaza once Israel withdraws.

In addition, the defense minister said he discussed with Sullivan the question of how to neutralize the threat posed to Israel by Hezbollah in the North.

Along with that issue, Gallant explained how important it is to create new security realities which will allow Israel's tens of thousands of evacuees from the North to return to their homes.

The US has significantly pressured Israel not to engage in a broader fight with Hezbollah and Jerusalem has hoped that Washington will repay some of its restraint by leaning hard on the terror group to keep its forces farther away from the northern border than it has since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

After that war, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 mandated that Hebzollah stay out of southern Lebanon, but shortly after, the group systematically violated those limits.

In addition, Gallant said Israel welcomes a global approach to holding off maritime threats from the Yemen Houthis, though he said any attack on an actual Israeli ship would lead to a direct Israeli response.

Trying to bring down Gaza’s top leaders, the IDF distributed flyers across Gaza on Thursday, promising huge rewards to anyone who would provide information on the locations of senior Hamas leaders hiding in the Strip.

The flyers state that $400,000 is being offered for information on Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and $300,000 for his brother Muhammad Sinwar.

A lower reward, worth $200,000, will be awarded by the IDF to those who provide information on the location of Rafa Salama, the Khan Yunis Brigade commander; for the location of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas's military wing, the army will give $100,000.

"Confidentiality is guaranteed," the IDF states in the flyer, and a phone number is provided to call.

IDF makes progress in Gaza's north and south

Also, on Thursday, the IDF made slow but steady progress in both northern and southern Gaza.

IDF troops from the 460th Combat Brigade of the 162nd Division operated in the Kamal Adwan Hospital area with the Shin Bet, with scores of Hamas terrorists being killed or detained.

During the operation, the IDF troops located a building close to the hospital that was being used by Hamas terrorists. An exchange of fire took place, in which a number of Hamas terrorists were killed.

Some 70 terrorists surrendered and left the building with their weapons and were detained and taken for interrogation by the Shin Bet.

This was one of several rounds of large-scale surrenders in recent days, though IDF sources indicate Hamas is still far from completely cracking.

Kamal Adwan Hospital is in the Beit Lahiya area north of Gaza City, near the Israeli border.

In mid-October, various media outlets quoted Hussam Abu Safiya, head of pediatrics at the hospital in northern Gaza, saying it did not evacuate despite calls to do so by Israel. The UN had warned at the time that hospitals would run out of fuel in two days on October 15.

The fuel continued to flow despite the warnings. On November 4, CNN reported that “MedGlobal, a US-based organization that supports local health programs for vulnerable populations across the globe, issued an urgent appeal for fuel to power a generator at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.”

Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani warned that a proposed US-backed multinational task force to protect shipping in the Red Sea would face "extraordinary problems," official Iranian media reported on Thursday.

Ashtiani's comments came after the United States said last week it was in talks with other countries to set up a task force following a spate of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea.

"If they make such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems," Ashtiani told the official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) in comments it published on Thursday.

"Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance," he said, referring to the Red Sea.

Ashtiani did not specify what measures Iran was prepared to take in response to the setting up of a US-backed Red Sea task force.

Talks regarding the Maritime Taskforce are underway

An American Navy ship seen in the red sea port of Eilat on June 8, 2021. (credit: FLASH90)

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters last week that Washington was in talks with "other countries" over forming a "maritime task force ... to ensure safe passage of ships in the Red Sea," but did not give further details.

Yemen's Houthis, which are aligned with Iran, have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict by attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

American and French navies have strengthened their presence in the Red Sea to protect vessels from the risk of seizure or attack by the Houthis.

On Tuesday, a Hamas terrorist, wounded in battle against IDF forces in the Gaza Strip, was admitted to Rabin Medical Center- Hasharon Hospital in Petach Tikvah due to injuries to his limbs.

The terrorist was hospitalized in the surgical department of the hospital after undergoing surgical procedures before being transferred to a POW facility at a military base in the south of the country. Officials at the hospital said that there is a directive from the Health Ministry that all hospitals in Israel must admit terrorists on a rotating basis. 

Terrorists admitted to Israeli hospitals has been a fierce debate, particularly since the October 7 massacre.

During the initial days of the conflict, criticism mounted over the practice of treating terrorists at Israeli hospitals alongside civilians and soldiers injured in attacks. 

According to data from the Health Ministry, since October 17, 12 terrorists have been treated in hospitals in Israel. The remaining terrorists who were caught and needed treatment received it in non-civilian facilities. 

Controversy: Admitting terrorists to Israeli hospitals

Within the week of the October 7th massacre, ‘La Familia’ Beitar Jerusalem soccer supporters stormed the Sheba Medical Center in order to remove a terrorist treated there.    

פעילי לה פמיליה מפריעים הערב לצוותי המיון בשיבא לטפל בפצועים ישראלים, באמצע מלחמה.
מעסיקים כוחות שיטור בגלל האלימות שלהם.
בושה.
למה הם מתלהמים במקום לעזור לפצועים, למפונים, לצה"ל?
מסיתים נגד כל הערבים. מה מרגיש רופא ערבי שמטפל כרגע במיון?
ואין שם בכלל מחבלים מטופלים. pic.twitter.com/3Z3bmtvozN

— פרופ' חגי לוין (@HagaiLevine) October 11, 2023

Following this incident, Health Minister Moshe Arbel appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the treatment of Hamas terrorists in public hospitals.

In addition, Arbel ordered the Director-General of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, to move the terrorists to be treated in non-civilian facilities. 

There are medical professionals who believe that hospitals in Israel should treat terrorists. Israeli organization Physicians for Human Rights issued a statement following these events: "As medical and health professionals, we call on the Ministry of Health and health institutions to adhere to the principles of medical ethics and professionalism and to provide equal treatment to every patient.”

Following the minister’s appeal, Bar Siman Tov spoke with the director general of the Defense Ministry. There is an ongoing discussion on the issue between the ministries. 

IDF forces from the Paratroopers brigade, with support from the Israeli Air Force, eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip and Khan Yunis.

IDF forces spotted Hamas terrorists firing from a residential building, and they were able to eliminate the terrorists.

IDF troops searched a school in Shejaiya on Wednesday that became the central focus of fighting in the area between the IDF and Hamas terrorists. The IDF found Hamas infrastructure and were being shot at by the terrorists. They encircled the terrorists and destroyed the infrastructure. 

The holy Jewish Tomb of Joshua bin Nun was renovated on Wednesday night by members of the Samaria Regional Council and IDF soldiers after it was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.

The tomb, located in the Palestinian village of Kifl Hares in the West Bank, was defaced with graffiti in support of Hamas and the October 7 massacres, including the phrase "Death to the Jews," names of terrorists, support for Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other inscriptions.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, along with volunteers from the Joseph's Tomb Administration and the Samaria Regional Council, came together with troops from the IDF's Battalion 9221 of the Ephraim Brigade. The inscription "Death to the Jews" was painted over with white paint by Dagan and the commander of the reserve battalion, Lt. Col. Shmulik Friedman. The work took about two hours in total.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays in the Tomb of Joshua bin Nun in the West Bank Arab village of Kifl Hares near the Jewish town of Ariel December 17, 2010 (credit: REUTERS/BAZ RATNER)

'We are the light, they are the darkness'

"We are the light, and they are the darkness; the light will always defeat the darkness!" Dagan stated from the tomb. "We are in the tomb of Joshua bin Nun - the first Jewish chief of staff from the nation of Israel. Here are our roots of holding on to the Land of Israel, here are the roots on which the State of Israel was founded, and these days, when we are fighting a barbaric and cruel enemy who slaughters women and children, it is no wonder that the same enemy who does this with one hand, with the other hand tries to damage and destroy our holy sites."

"Together with the soldiers of the IDF, we are here strengthening the entire people of Israel everywhere - in the North, in the Gaza border communities, in the South, and in Jerusalem. We are as one iron fist, and we will defeat this barbaric enemy. We are here to rectify this act of terrorism by ISIS, the damage to the tomb of Joshua bin Nun, and we say from here that the nation of Israel lives. The nation of Israel will win!"

The Tomb of Joshua bin Nun is maintained by the Joseph's Tomb Administration and the Samaria Regional Council. The place is visited by tens of thousands of Jewish worshipers a year, who are allowed to visit the site on a number of pre-arranged excursions each year, which are organized by the Samaria Regional Council and take place under the escort and security of the IDF and Israeli security forces.

The village of Kifl Hares contains other sites considered by Jews to be holy. Tradition holds that the tomb of Caleb ben Yefuneh, one of the 12 spies along with Joshua, is located in the village, as is the tomb of Nun, Joshua's father. 

Israeli satire television show Eretz Nehederet struck again on Wednesday night in their latest skit, where they "recreated" a news broadcast, asking for donations to be sent directly to Hamas as a way to "help the Gazan residents."

Eretz Nehederet, Israel's version of Saturday Night Live, has been a cornerstone of Israeli humor and social commentary since its inception. With its sharp wit, cutting-edge humor, and fearless approach to tackling sensitive issues, the show has captured the hearts of viewers across the country.

The skit starts out showing a woman in a hijab broadcaster standing in what looks like the middle of a Gaza war scene and claiming that "the children in Gaza are suffering." She then begs the public to send money to the link below, showing a link that goes directly to Hamas's site.

Gaza’s sky is black but Qatar is always sunny. pic.twitter.com/iIUOtmKEGR

— ארץ נהדרת (@Eretz_Nehederet) December 13, 2023

The next scene shows money donations growing worldwide before being sent to Gaza, which then looks like the money is being redirected to Doha, Qatar. Hamas leaders are seen sitting in a suite at the Doha Plaza with dollar bills raining down on them.

'Donate us some money, my dog needs new Armani'

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a meeting with members of international media at his office in Gaza City, June 20, 2019 (credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/ REUTERS)

As the scene turns to the Qatari hotel room, the intro to their parody of the K-Pop song Money by Lisa.

Three Eretz Nehederet actors, dressed as three Hamas leaders, are seen sitting on the couch in the hotel suite. The three leaders being, Mousa Abu Marzook, Deputy Chairman of the Hamas political bureau, who is worth $3 billion, Khaled Mashaal, leader of the Hamas diaspora office, worth $4 billion, and Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of the Hamas political bureau, worth $5 billion.

They then start singing the parody. In the parody, they called out porn star Mia Khalifa for being a Hamas supporter by adding lyrics, such as, "Call Mia Khalifa, to play us some FIFA, and tell her to dress up like she is a nurse from Shifa."

Taking a crack at the donations going towards Hamas leaders, the chorus went: "Donate us some money, my dog needs new Armani."

At one point of the song, a knock on the door is heard, and the Hamas leaders panic, thinking it's the Mossad. "Knocking, knocking on the door. F---, it's the Mossad. Chill ya baba, I just ordered sushi avocad."

At the end of the song, two leaders go into a separate room where the broadcast woman from the beginning of the skit is standing in front of a blue screen, and they tell her, "Cry harder, we need more money."

St.-Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Elisha Loewenstern, 38, from Harish, fell in combat on Wednesday in Battle in the Gaza Strip.

US Navy destroyer Mason shot an unmanned aerial vehicle launched from a Houthi-controlled area while responding to a call from a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the southern Red Sea on Dec. 13, US Central Command said on early Thursday.

Two hostages were confirmed murdered in Hamas custody on Wednesday evening, by their respective kibbutzes.

Tal Chaimi, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, and Joshua Luito Mollel, a resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz, were murdered while being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Both their bodies are still being held by Hamas.

Chaimi was believed to have been kidnapped but, new evidence showed he had been killed on October 7 and his body was taken by Hamas to Gaza.

Chaimi was part of the emergency squads which were sent out to hold off the Hamas assault until reinforcements could arrive.

A WOMAN picks buttercups in a field near Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in southern Israel, close to the Gaza Strip (credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)

Chaimi left that morning after it became clear Hamas had infiltrated Israel, leaving his wife and children at home.

When the rest of the squad returned, Chaimi was not among them. The squad was unable to tell his wife where he was.

Chaimi was a third-generation resident of Nir Yitzhak and a descendant of its founders. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

May their memory be a blessing

Mollel a Tanzanian agricultural student had only arrived in Israel two weeks before the October 7 Massacre. 

Mollel had been working in Nahal Oz as a dairy farmer and was at work on the day of the massacre.

His father was informed tonight of his son's fate, he is reportedly in disbelief and has asked for the source of the information.

Mollel's father is arriving in Israel tonight accompanied by foreign ministry representatives, according to the Center for Immigrants and Refugees.