October 31, 2023

ITC update: Operation Iron Swords

Day 25

Tuesday 31.10.23

The latest assessment is that 240 hostages remain inside Gaza, 30 of whom are babies and children under 16 years old.  

Families of the kidnapped continue to demand the Red Cross and doctors be given access to the hostages.

The Jerusalem Municipality launched “Lights of Hope,” a light display in the city’s Pais Arena Square.

Each time captives are returned to Israel, the number of lights and the duration of their illumination in the exhibition

will be adjusted according to the number of captives who have not yet returned. COURTESY/AVI MIZRAHI

During the ground operation inside Gaza, the IDF and the Shin Bet Security Service were able to successfully rescue a 19-year-old female IDF soldier. Private Ori Megidish was rescued on Sunday night, with the announcement only made yesterday afternoon after she had been debriefed and returned to her family. Private Megidish was captured by Hamas when her base at Nahal OZ was overrun on the morning of October 7. According to the IDF, she was held by Hamas on her own, without any other hostages.

Northern Front: Hezbollah continues to attack along the Lebanese border area, including mortar shells toward Rosh Hanikra, rockets near Moshav Elkosh and three anti-tank missiles fired towards Biranit. No injuries were reported. Late afternoon, there were shots fired at army positions on the border, and two mortars launched from Lebanon landed in open areas near Tel-Hai College.

In a further sign of the widening regional dimensions of this conflict, it was reported this morning that IDF aerial defense forces detected and shot down a drone that tried to infiltrate Israeli airspace in the Eilat area. This appears to be the third time that Houthi factions in Yemen, supported by Iran, have launched rockets or UAVs towards Israel.

Jerusalem and the surrounding area came under a barrage of rockets on Monday afternoon. It has been two weeks since the last rocket attack on Jerusalem.

Today, air raid sirens blared across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and neighboring cities. Alarms sounded in the Gaza Envelope communities of Holit, Sufa and Kissufim.

ITC on the Ground

In the wake of Hamas’ brutal attack on Gaza in southern Israel, friends, and family from abroad have been reaching out to us, asking how we are doing, showing compassion, concern, and sympathy. Jewish Federations, foundations, and many individual donors from around the world quickly mobilized to address the needs on the ground, reaching out to their partners in Israel and making new connections.

Over the last few days, with missions coming from the U.S, Great Britain, France, that support came with in person hugs.

We have met with the incredible team from the UJIA who came with us to hear from survivors of Netiv Haasara and Zikim, evacuated to Maale Ha’hamisha, today we met with a solidarity mission from JFNA at Shefayim a kibbutz in central Israel north of Herzliya along the Mediterranean coast. Normally known for its water park, today it houses evacuees from kibbutz Kfar Aza. The mission heard stories from survivors and the incredible work of the Shaare Hanegev Resilience Center which continues to provide its residence with trauma interventions, emotional first aid and whose dedicated team is coordinating trauma relief efforts. At the end of the session, on the way back to the bus, we were all caught in a shared reality-as air raid sirens warned of incoming rockets.

You have come to listen, to bear witness and support us. It is hard to put into words how much this means to all of us. Please know that you are all a vital and inseparable part of our strength.

In the words of Freud, “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

We will continue to update you.