Yom Shleeshee
Tuesday
17 Cheshvan 5784
October 31 2023
UPDATE 10:00 PM
The War in the South Intensifies
In fierce fighting in Gaza, the Givati Brigade has taken control of the Palestinian HamISIS stronghold in western Jabaliya. More than 50 terrorists were killed.
In other action in Jabaliya, IDF warplanes, under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet, killed Ebrahim Biari. Biari was one of the leaders of the October 7 massacres and the HamISIS leader of all forces in northern Gaza as the the Commander of the Jabaliya Center Battalion.
The Latest Summary
317 soldiers have fallen in battle following the announcement of the deaths of 2 Givati soldiers this afternoon.
240 people are now listed as hostages.
The Awful Toll on October 7
The Israel Welfare Ministry reports that on October 7:
96 children in the Gaza border communities lost a mother or father in the massacres.
20 children lost both parents.
The overall civilian toll:
Police say they have identified 826 of the civilians who were murdered on October 7 and that this 826 is approximately 85% of the total number of civilians butchered–meaning that there were between 970-1000 civilians who were massacred.
Missiles and mortars fired from Gaza in the last 4 hours
Tel Aviv, Ashkelon (21:00); Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan (18:27)
In the North
An Israeli drone eliminated another anti-tank missile squad on the Lebanese border.
Another drone took out terrorists in Morukhin in southern Lebanon.
UPDATE 6:00 PM
In the last 5 hours:
*The intensive fighting continues inside Palestinian HamISIS Gaza with our forces closing on the Turkish Hospital.
*The ballistic missile that the Houthis fired from Yemen at Eilat was an Iranian one with a warhead carrying hundred of kilograms of explosives and with a range of more than thousand kilometers. This afternoon, Yemen officially declared war on Israel.
Numerous missile volleys were fired at Israel from Gaza:
Ashdod–4 wounded see below (16:00); Sufa (15:32); Sderot (15:11); Holit (14:52); Hod Hasharon, Petah Tikva (14:36); Nir Yitzhak (14:00); Lakiya and the northern Negev (13:29).
*Missiles were also fired in the north at Metula (13:02).
The most amazing, startling, and depressing map.
This is an remarkable testament to those who fell.
Good news.
Yossi Cohen the renowned former head of the Mossad has joined the government as “Envoy for Special Tasks.” Cohen remains feared in the Arab world for the way he ran Mossad–taking out terrorists no matter where they were.
Sheer Idiocy
Communications Minister Karhi’s attempt to close down Al-Jazeera in Israel has been unbelievably thwarted by “political and security” factors. Politically, Qatar–the main sponsor of HamISIS–is supposedly helping with hostage negotiations. Qatar owns and operates Al-Jazeera.
Practically, it is argued that “Israel is not Iran” and must permit free media.
Your humble servant wants to throw up.
Al Jazeera is spreading false information faster than I can type these lines–and publishing videos of the locations of our soldiers. They should be shut down and kicked out of the country.
Ashdod at 16:00
The terrorists in Gaza finally caught us.
Outside.
Throughout the last 25 days, we have tried to time a short walk around the park beside our house between missile volleys. This afternoon as we hustled around the park, the incoming missile sirens went off and we ran for a wall to lie down beside. But before we got there, five Iron Dome interceptors were streaking straight toward our position.
We got beside the wall and hit the ground. We thought the interceptors would continue overhead to the south. But they stopped and exploded in the air directly overhead. 10 seconds later the explosive intercepts took place. Then we waited. For the shrapnel that was sure to fall, and for the first time we didn’t have our bomb shelter ceiling over our heads.
We were lucky. The shrapnel did not fall straight down. The wind carried it about 20 meters away.
UPDATE 1:00 PM
A flurry of reports from this morning.
Fierce fighting in northern Gaza as tanks advance toward Gaza City. There are reports of pitched battles at the mouths of tunnels.
Houthis in Yemen launched a ballistic missile that was intercepted and shot down over Eilat at 8:59 this morning by an IAF Arrow missile. Prior to this a Houthi drone was shot down near Eilat.
The IDF and Shin Bet report the elimination of the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of HamISIS, Nissim Abu Ajina. Ajina directed the gruesome attack at Kibbutz Erez and at Netiv Ha’asara on Oct. 7.
The IDF spokesman has confirmed that 240 people are being held hostage in Gaza.
All missile and mortar attacks on the Gaza border so far today:
Nir Oz (10:49); Nirim (10:31); Netiv Ha’asara (10:09); Kissufim (10:02); Kissufim (9:34); Kerem Shalom (8:55); Kerem Shalom (8:29); Eshkol (6:59); Kissufim (6:09).
It should be noted that the above were mortar attacks targeted IDF staging areas.
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.