MayelynP@bocafed.org

The Latest: Overnight, the Israeli government voted to approve a limited hostage deal with Hamas, brokered by Qatar, with assistance from the US, Egypt, and others: Following a marathon eight-hour meeting, Israel’s government voted late last night to approve a deal that would enable a limited hostage exchange. See details below. From recent polling research by Jewish Federations: 72% of public supports humanitarian pause for hostage release; only 20% want unconditional ceasefire. Read more. Hamas will release at least 50 women and children, and will not release children without their mothers. A full list of those being released will be provided by Hamas tonight (Wednesday evening, Israel Time). The hostages will be released at a rate of 12-15 each day for four days, with the first set likely to come out on Thursday. The 50 slated for release include 30 children, eight mothers, and twelve elderly women whose lives are considered to be at risk. Read more here about the children.

The Latest: 68 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began, and 388 soldiers since October 7. See a list of all soldiers who have fallen (with details, in Hebrew) in this war, here. Vered Benvenisti, who tragically lost her father and then her brother in previous Israeli wars, has now lost her son, who fell in battle in Gaza last night. Reports continue of an imminent deal on some hostages. Commenting on a possible agreement, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, “We’re closer now than we’ve been before.” According to many media outlets, the deal will likely involve the freeing of around 50 hostages (comprised of women, children, and non-Israeli nationals) in exchange for an unknown number of Hamas prisoners, alongside a 3-5 day ceasefire. The IDF announced that the residents of the Gaza Envelope in communities that are located within four kilometers or more from the Gaza Strip can now return home, although, for many, their houses have been destroyed. Yesterday, media circulated a photo of the reopened dining hall at Kibbutz Be’eri. See details on these developments, and more, below.

The Latest: As the ground war continues, Israel has uncovered extensive tunnels under the Shifa Hospital, with concrete evidence that hostages were held there. Israel has also recovered several bodies of hostages at the hospital who were likely killed by Hamas. See the map here. 67 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began, and 387 soldiers since October 7. See a list of all soldiers that have fallen (with details, in Hebrew) in this war, here. Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis have hijacked a ship in the Red Sea they claim is Israeli. According to Israel, the ship is British-owned and Japanese-run, and the international crew does not include any Israeli citizens. Read more here. Watch a special message from Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to global Jewish communities. See details on these developments, and more, below.

THE LATEST As the ground war continues in Gaza, Israel says that its forces have made significant progress and are close to achieving their goal of destroying Hamas's operations in the northern Gaza Strip. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the military have eliminated all terrorist threats from the western side of Gaza City. Watch the IDF Chief of Staff briefing troops here and read here about possible next steps for the Israeli offensive. Yesterday, Israeli troops attacked an Islamic Jihad outpost in northern Gaza; they found Iran-made Badr-3 rockets, drones, and other weapons. The Badr-3 has a range of 100 miles and includes a 550-pound explosive warhead. The Islamic Jihad outpost was later destroyed. Meanwhile, troops from the Givati Infantry Brigade battled Hamas terrorists holed up in a school. Several gunmen were killed in the fighting, and the troops later recovered weaponry. (See photos of captured weaponry here, and footage of the fighting here and here). 51 soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began. See details of all fallen soldiers here.

The Latest: As the ground war continues, Israeli forces reportedly dropped leaflets warning Palestinians to leave parts of southern Gaza, signaling a possible expansion of operations. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began, and 371 soldiers since October 7. See a list of all soldiers who have fallen (with details, in Hebrew) in this war, here. A checkpoint on the outskirts of Jerusalem was attacked by terrorists this morning. Three armed Palestinian gunmen stopped their car at the checkpoint, jumped out, and started firing at Israelis, wounding six including one who is in critical condition. The three terrorists, presumably headed into Jerusalem to carry out a major attack, were shot and killed. In their car, IDF soldiers found ammunition as well as axes. See details on these developments, and more, below.

The Latest: As the ground war continues, the Israeli military says that it has made considerable gains toward destroying Hamas’ fighting capability and asserts that the terror group has now lost control over the northern part of the Gaza Strip. 48 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began, and 367 soldiers have perished since October 7. Read more about some of the recent soldiers who fell, here. See details on these developments, and more, below.

The Latest: As the ground war continues, Israeli forces have made considerable gains toward destroying Hamas’ fighting capability. It is confirmed that 44 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground offensive began; a total of 363 soldiers have been slain since October 7. In addition, 239 hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed on October 7, and at least 7,000 have been injured. Some 9,500 rockets have been fired at Israel in that time, and more than a quarter of a million Israelis have been internally displaced. Read more here about some of the soldiers who fell recently. More details on these developments are below.