As Shabbat approaches in Israel, Jewish Federations’ Israel Office presents a shortened summary of the latest developments in the War. Full updates will resume next week. Meanwhile, from Jerusalem, we wish all of Israel, and Jews around the world, a comforting, safe and peaceful Shabbat.
The Latest:
At the end of the fourth week of the war with Hamas, the IDF has confirmed 23 soldiers dead in battles inside Gaza since the ground incursion began.
In the last 24 hours, fierce battles have been fought between the IDF and Hamas terrorists. In one attack, dozens of Hamas gunmen ambushed Golani troops, emerging from tunnels, climbing on to armored personnel carriers, and trying to gain control of IDF vehicles. The Hamas militants were successfully repelled. (Watch video footage from inside a tank during the battle here and here). In the evening hours yesterday, over 130 terrorists were killed in fighting. See more about the fighting on the ground here, watch descriptions of the battles by some of the soldiers here, and see photos here.
The Latest:
More than three weeks into Israel’s War with Hamas, heavy fighting continues in Gaza. Eighteen Israeli soldiers have been killed, as well as hundreds of terrorists.
Israel's updated official numbers are now saying that at least 242 Israelis are still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Key Resources From Jewish Federations
The Jewish Agency for Israel invites you to join us on Sunday, November 5 at noon ET together with our partners at the National Institutions Building--the World Zionist Organization, Keren Hayesod, and the Jewish National Fund--to mark the Shloshim (traditional 30 days of mourning) since the tragic events of October 7. In memory of those who were murdered on that dark day, we will hold a ceremony at our Jerusalem headquarters, and it will be streamed live on the Jewish Agency's Facebook page.
In the latest episode of our podcast, The Glue, Eric Fingerhut talks about the ramifications of the war in Israel with Becky Caspi, the Director-General of Israel and Overseas and Aaron J. Goldberg, the Director of the Israel Office of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. To listen, click here.
This site shows a map of the October 7 massacre, with a red dot for every person killed and a black dot for every person abducted by Hamas. Clicking on any dot will show the name and picture (if available) of the victim, along with their age and last-known location.