Shalom all,
Israel Update – Day 29 of the War.

As of this writing, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in action since the beginning of the ground offensive stands at 29.

A missile between 8-10 meters in length (26.5. to 32.8 feet) was discovered 50 meters (164 feet) off the coast of Haifa yesterday by a lifeguard during his morning swim. He notified the Civil Command and the Israeli Navy, and underwater commandos exploded the missile under controlled circumstances. The shock wave of the explosion was felt several kilometers inland, including where we live in Haifa, just over 3 kilometers from the shore. We thought it was an earthquake. Only a short time later, we learned that it was missile that was exploded. Attached is a video of the explosion  (it’s in an article in Hebrew – I couldn’t find the English version; after a 20-second commercial, the video should appear <https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/byhmp5fm6?utm>).

In a short, but important televised speech this evening, Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, related the high motivation of the soldiers in Gaza to be victorious in the war. He added that “there is no place for Hamas, there is no place for the ISIS of Gaza”. He also repeated: “We will get to Yehya Sinwar [the leader of Hamas] – and we will eliminate him.”

Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of the Hezbollah, at a ceremony honoring the Hamas terrorist who have died since 7th October, said last night that the Israel-Hamas war is “100% Palestinian, not regional”, but added that the Hezbollah has nevertheless been involved since the 8th of October, keeping the IDF occupied in the north. He also made a point of saying that the cross-border incidents have increased daily and threatened the possibility of an escalation on the Lebanese front <https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byfyvyzq6>.

There were a number of other developments today, but discussion concerning them will have to wait for another time. Shabbat ended here a short while ago and we are visiting with our daughter in Jerusalem. So, I will end this here and wish you all a God-honoring week.

Bless, be blessed and be a blessing.
Marvin