Yom Rishon
Sunday
14 Adar II 5784
March 24 2024
UPDATE 10:00 AM
May Their Memories Be For A Blessing
Sgt. Lior Raviv.
Sgt. Lior Raviv, 21, from Rishon Lezion, a fighter in the 932nd “Granite” Battalion of the Nahal Brigade fell in battle yesterday at the Shifa Hospital. He was the 252nd IDF soldier to die in Gaza.
Sgt. Ilay Garfinkel.
Sgt. Ilay David Garfinkel, 21, a fighter in the Duvdevan Unit of the Commando Brigade was killed in a firefight with a Palestinian terrorist near the Dolev-Talmon Junction in Samaria. The entire incident began when the terrorist— armed with sniper rifles, a huge amount of ammunition, and a bulletproof vest–fired at an Israeli vehicle at the Junction and did not end until 5 hours later when a combat helicopter hit the terrorist with a missile in the hillside brush where he had built a barricade.
By the way, the terrorist was a former member of PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ personal guard—which explains where he probably got all of his weapons.
Another hostage has died:
Yagev Buchstag.
Yagev Buchstav, 34, who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nirim on October 7 by HamISIS terrorists was declared dead yesterday by the same HamISIS terrorists–who claimed that he died from “starvation” and “lack of medicine”. His wife Rimon was released in a previous hostage release.
The Photo of the Day
A remarkable Purim photo last night of IDF soldiers reading the Megillah (Book of Esther) in the Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
On the Ground in Gaza
*The battle continues at the Shifa Hospital. A number of senior HamISIS terrorists were captured who have already revealed an abundance of information some of which was undoubtedly used in widespread IDF attacks throughout Gaza. The IDF believes that 150 terrorists remain in Shifa of whom 20 are senior members of the terror organization. 170 terrorists have been killed there thus far and another 800 taken into custody.
*In Doha, Israel refused Hamas’ demand to release 30 prisoners serving “life sentences” for every female soldier. In addition, Israel demanded the return of the bodies of Goldin and Shaul taken in 2014 in exchange for the release of terrorists who were re-arrested after the Shalit deal.
On the Ground in the North
More than 50 rockets were fired out of Lebanon at the northern Galil and communities on the Lebanese border yesterday. 4 were intercepted and the rest fell in “open spaces”. No Israelis were physically wounded.
In response, the IAF once again hit deep in Lebanon at the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek. Four Hezbollah terrorists were reportedly killed.
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
*Following yesterday’s terror attack that took the life of Sgt. David Garfinkel (see above), another terror attack was averted by the alert security coordinator at the Petzal community. Two terrorists armed with Kalashnikov rifles were caught after they crossed over the border from Jordan.
*In what can only be described as excellent news, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich functioning in his ministerial role as Deputy Defense Minister for Judea and Samaria designated nearly 2000 acres of the Jordan Valley as “state land” and earmarked it for development of Jewish communities.
The leftist Washington Post fraudulently reported this as “the largest land takeover of Palestinian territory in the West Bank since the Oslo Accords of 1993.” Smotrich’s action was not a takeover and did not involve Palestinian territory.
By the way, this is the second such designation Smotrich has made this year–the other being a smaller parcel of land near Ma’aleh Adumim.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.