Thursday
Yom Chamishee
5 Nisan 5785
April 3 2025
UPDATE 9:00 AM ISRAEL TIME
On the Ground in Gaza
*At 9:17 pm last night:
Two missiles were fired out of northern Gaza toward Sderot. Both were intercepted. Those areas of northern Gaza from which the missiles came are currently being evacuated.
*In a major announcement yesterday evening, PM Netanyahu said the fighting in Gaza is expanding and that the IDF is further carving up Gaza by creating another “corridor” which completely cuts off the southern area of Rafah from the rest of Gaza:
As you can see, the new “Morag Corridor” separates Rafah from Khan Younis.
At the same time Netanyahu indicated that IDF presence in the Philadelphi Corridor and Netzarim Corridor has expanded.
It is estimated that the IDF is back to controlling 30% of Gaza. In short, the IDF is trying to exert maximum pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
*Elsewhere in Gaza yesterday and last night, there were continuous attacks on Hamas terrorists and Hamas headquarters:
–19 terrorists were killed in an IAF strike on Hamas command headquarters in an UNRWA clinic in Jabaliya in northern Gaza.
–8 terrorists were killed in an attack on a terror cell southeast of Khan Younis.
–3 terrorists were killed in an IAF drone attack south of Nuseirat.
–1 armed terrorist was shot and killed as he approached the security fence in southern Gaza.
Judging from the “booms” we are hearing here in Ashdod this morning, the attacks are ongoing.
In other Gaza news:
*Hostile aircraft intrusion alarms were sounded in Kissufim at 14:59 yesterday afternoon. Whatever the aircraft, it was shot down by the IAF with no injuries to Israelis.
*The fake numbers begin to disappear: as you know the world idiotically relies on the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza to report the number of Gazans “killed” in the war. Two weeks ago, quietly, the Ministry removed 3,400 dead including (1,080 children) from its “verified death list.”
By the way, the Health Ministry now admits that 72% of reported deaths are those of “combat-aged” men (aka terrorists).
On the Ground in Syria
Many of the planes over our house last night were headed to Syria where the IAF:
–destroyed parts of the airport in Hama. At least 3 Turkish “engineers” were killed along with dozens of others.
— hit Syrian Army positions in the Quneitra area.
–attacked positions in the city of Nawa in the Dara’a province of southern Syria.
– struck a “Scientific Research” bui-lding in northern Damascus.
From the IDF spokesman this morning:
“During the night, Brigade 474 forces operated in the Tasil area in southern Syria, confiscating weapons and destroying terrorist infrastructure. During the operation, several militants fired at our forces in the area. The forces responded with fire and eliminated several armed terrorists from the ground and air. The forces completed their mission in the area, and there were no casualties among our forces.”
On the Ground in Lebanon
*The IAF attacked Hezbollah assets in Nakuru.
*The IDF struck Hezbollah terrorists with artillery in the western part of southern Lebanon.
On the Ground in Yemen
U.S. strikes continue unabated involving U.S. planes and Tomahawk missiles. Hardest hit has been Kahlan, east of Saada with wave after wave of attacks. You can watch Tomahawks being fired yesterday here (cut and paste into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ItXqomgCFA).
U.S. planes also hit a Houthi communications network on a mountain overlooking Jibla.
On the Ground on the Temple Mount
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir went up to the Har HaBeit (Temple Mount) yesterday a week before Passover. His ascent followed Jews being prohibited from the Mount for much of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr.
You would think that the sky fell.
Jordan’s abominable Foreign Minister called Ben Gvir’s short visit “a raid . . .[and] “a dangerous escalation, a provocation that must be condemned and a violation of the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the status quo there.”
He continued: “This step comes within the framework of the war of mass destruction against the Palestinian people and within the framework of the efforts of the terrorist government – headed by the war criminal Netanyahu – to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque and impose a reality on Jerusalem.”
Finally, the Minister called for “violent resistance by Palestinians on the West Bank.”
And Jordan is supposed to be a “moderate Arab country.”
The Wonderful News From Judea and Samaria
A governmental group including Defense Minister Katz, Finance Minister Smotrich, and Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz toured parts of Judea and Samaria yesterday.
From Ganz:
“As someone who has been closely involved in Judea and Samaria community development for the past decade and a half, I can say that both the Judea and Samaria community development movement and the entire country owe this government immense appreciation. Since 1967, there has not been such a revolution in Judea and Samaria. Thank you, to the Prime Minister and all the ministers. I ask that you continue this work—you are safeguarding the future of our country.”
From Smotrich:
“We have led dramatic changes on the ground that have not been seen in the last 50 years in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli government is working to develop communities in Judea and Samaria and will not allow the rampant illegal Arab construction that has become a national plague in recent decades. Judea and Samaria are the cradle of our homeland, the land of the Bible. We are here to stay.”
What are some of the changes that Ganz and Smotrich are referring to?
*A 50% increase in the demolitions of illegal Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria in 2024.
*A 30% decrease in the extent of new illegal Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria in 2024.
*A dramatic increase in the number of Israeli agricultural farms whose farming activities and livestock grazing has significantly curtailed the Palestinian land grab.
*A dramatic increase in new housing in Judea and Samaria with 7,595 new apartments going up.
*The creation of 13 new communities which had been “neighborhoods” of existing communities.
*A population increase of 12,297 in Jewish communities in 2024.
All of which means that as of the end of 2024 there are 147 fully developed Jewish communities and 191 fledgling communities in Area C of Judea and Samaria with a total population of 529,450.
The Not-so-Good News from Washington
President Trump placed a 17% tariff on all goods imported into the U.S. from Israel yesterday. It could have been worse, and it could have been better. Here’s the entire list:
Laos 48%
Madagascar 47%
Vietnam 46%
Sri Lanka 44%
Myanmar(Burma) 44%
Bangladesh 37%
Serbia 37%
Botswana 37%
Thailand 36%
China 34%
Taiwan 32%
Indonesia 32%
Switzerland 31%
South Africa 30%
Pakistan 29%
Tunisia 28%
Kazakhstan 27%
India 26%
South Korea 25%
Japan 24%
Malaysia 24%
Cote d’Ivoire 21%
European Union 20%
Jordan 20%
Nicaragua 18%
Israel 17%
Philippines 17%
United Kingdom 10%
Brazil 10%
Singapore 10%
Chile 10%
Australia 10%
Turkey 10%
Colombia 10%
Peru 10%
Costa Rica 10%
Dominican Republic 10%
United Arab Emirates 10%
New Zealand 10%
Argentina 10%
Ecuador 10%
Guatemala 10%
Honduras 10%
Egypt 10%
Saudi Arabia 10%
El Salvador 10%
Trinidad and Tobago 10%
Morocco 10%
Chart: Aimee Picchi . . .Source White House
And so it goes here in Israel and elsewhere this morning . . . so far . . .
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.