Yom Shleeshee
Tuesday
22 Kislev 5784
December 5 2023
SPECIAL NOTICE
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UPDATE 10:00 PM
The IDF has just announced that 2 more IDF soldiers have died:
Major (res.) Matan Damari, 31, from Dimona, a platoon commander in the patrol company of the Fire Brigade 215.
Major (res.) Ilay Eliyahu Cohen, 23, from Beit Nehemiah, a fighter in Battalion 7008
This brings to 7 the number announced today.
408 IDF soldiers, policemen, and first responders have fallen in battle since October 7th.
82 of these are IDF soldiers who have died in the ground offensive in Gaza.
May all of these brave defenders of Israel be remembered for a blessing.
IDF Comments Tonight
“We have moved to the third phase of the ground operations. We have secured many Hamas strongholds in the northern Gaza Strip, and now we are operating against its strongholds in the south . . . our forces are now encircling the Khan Yunis area.”
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi
“This has been the most intensive day of fighting in the war. The IDF is attacking on 5 fronts.”
An unnamed Israeli General as reported by the IDF spokesman.
Missiles Fired at Southern and Northern Israel Since Our Last Update
10 missiles were intercepted over Ashdod at (18:03). 6 missiles in three barrages were fired at Kiryat Shmona this evening. 5 were intercepted, and other fell in an open space.
UPDATE 6:00 PM
There have been significant missile barrages in central and southern Israel this afternoon with at least 3 wounded in Ashkelon (13:59) and two near misses in Tel Aviv (15:20).
This photo is from an elementary school room in Tel Aviv. Fortunately school had finished for the day. You cannot see the gaping hole in the ceiling, but notice the missile on the floor in front of the paramedic:
The missile below was also a near-miss–hitting beside a busy street in Tel Aviv (we are not permitted by the military censor to identify the street):
UPDATE 12:00 PM
On the Ground in the North
*IDF artillery fire has been directed at multiple locations in Lebanon:
Al Jabein, Shekhin, Ramiya, Aita Al-Sha’ab, Fati Nakura, Mays Al-Jabal, Al-Khayam, Mari, Kfar Shuba, Balida, Hamool, Lida, Lavona, and Bankura.
The artillery fire follows 10 missiles fired from Lebanon at the IDF post on Mt. Dov.
On the Ground In Gaza
Two more soldiers have fallen in battle:
Capt. Yahel Gazit, 24 years old, from Rakfat , deputy company commander in the 53rd battalion, Barak formation (188).
Maj. (res.) Gil Daniels, 34 years old, from Ashdod, a fighter in the reconnaissance company of the 6261 battalion, 261 brigade.
May their memories be for a blessing.
Massive artillery fire continues at Khan Younis and south of Deir Al-Balah–so massive that it is shaking the windows of our house here in Ashdod 40 km to the north at this moment.
The Fighting Grows More Intense
As we have previously mentioned, the fighting in Gaza has reached a new phase in which our soldiers are fighting man to man from house to house in the densely urban areas of Jabaliya and Khan Younis.
As our casualties mount, I believe that our loss of life outweighs any consideration for civilians who might have disobeyed the orders to move to safer areas.
Simply put, vast swaths of Jabaliya and Khan Younis should be obliterated, and when our soldiers encounter fire coming from a partially destroyed house, they should call in an air strike to destroy the rest of it.
The Horror Stories Continue
It is believed that one of the reasons that HamISIS does not want to release the last 17 women and children is because they have been literally abused to death or abused to such an extreme that the world would recoil even more at the utter inhumanity displayed by the terrorists.
Everyday brings new horror stories told by the released hostages not only about what has happened to them, but also about what they witnessed. These accounts coupled with the videos that the terrorists were obsessed with recording as they abused and mutilated Israeli children, women, and men tell a story of horror beyond what any of us can comprehend.
One fact has emerged clearly.
The terrorists excitedly cut out female and male genitalia from live hostages. And after they finished raping both women and men repeatedly (to the point of fracturing and breaking the pelvises of young women), they delighted in shooting them to death by riddling with bullets the places where their genitalia were.
No one who reads or hears these accounts can ever doubt why HamISIS must be utterly destroyed. It is a demonic evil walking the earth.
UPDATE 8:00 AM
Terrorists in Gaza have launched missiles at Mivtahim (07:59); Beersheva (06:52); Nir Oz (07:02) this morning.
The IDF has announced the deaths of three more soldiers:
Sgt. Yakir Yedidya Schenkolewski, 21 years old, from Migdal Oz, armored fighter in the 53rd battalion, Barak design (188), fell in battle in the Strip Gaza.
Capt. Eitan Fisch, 23 years old, from the settlement of Paduel, a combat armor officer in the 53rd Battalion, Barak formation (188), fell in battle in the Gaza Strip.
Sgt. Tuval Yaakov Tsanani, 20 years old, from Kiryat Gat, armored fighter in the 53rd Battalion, Barak formation (188), fell in battle in the Gaza Strip
May their memories be for a blessing.
The additional tragedy of the above three soldiers is that they were all in the same tank which was apparently hit by an anti-tank missile. This is not the first time that we have had multiple casualties caused when a vehicle that is supposed to have anti-tank missile and RPG protection was blown up.
404 IDF soldiers, policemen, and first responders have fallen in battle since October 7th.
78 of these are IDF soldiers who have died in the ground offensive in Gaza.
On the Judea and Samaria Front
The IDF has already been involved in intensive firefights in Qalandia this morning with at least 1 terrorist reportedly killed.
More firefights are currently taking place in Jenin where IDF bulldozers have entered the area around the Jenin Hospital which like Shifa Hospital in Gaza is a terrorist headquarters.
Taking Care of Our Wounded
Click here to see how the IDF can now provide intensive care to our soldiers in the middle of a battlefield–inside a Tiger Armored Personnel Carrier, the “Nemarbullance”. The Nemarbullance is equipped with the most advanced intensive medical equipment.
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.