Israel At War Dec 17

 Israel at war day 72

11:00pm

- Another 4 soldiers killed in Gaza ground operation bringing death toll to 126.HYD

Urija Bayer, 20, from Maalot Tarshisha 

Liav Aloush, 21, from Gadera

Etan Naeh,26, from Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu

Tal Filiba, 23 from Rechovot

- Israel attacked the "Burkan" rocket depot in the area of ​​the village of Yaron in southern Lebanon, near the border, yesterday. After the attack, vudeo was circulated of smoke mushrooms rising from the ground as a result of the explosion of dozens of heavy rockets. The "Burkan" rockets, which can carry a 250 kg warhead, have already been fired into Israeli territory during the war, so the IDF's damage to them is significant. (Nir Dvori)

- Ceasefire negotiations Hamas is insisting on unilaterally deciding the next hostages to be freed and wants Israeli troops to withdraw to pre-set lines. According to the sources, Israel rejected the latter term, and demanded to see the list of hostages before the time and duration of the ceasefire are determined.

- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will announce a new maritime protection force during his visit to the Middle East,  after repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial ships traversing the Red Sea.

The IDF publishes photos showing signs left behind by the three hostages who were mistakenly killed by troops in Gaza City’s Shejaiya neighborhood on Friday, on a nearby building the signs reading “SOS” and “Help, 3 hostages” were written on fabric using leftover food.

- Reports of a Second hostage deal between Hamas and Israel rumored to be finalized “mid to late next week” in Oslo,Norway.  Israel to release 300 Palestinian terrorists, notably including Fatah's Mustafa Barghouti. Hamas to release at least 50 hostages, including six Israeli military members. Hamas says no deal until fighting stops.

- Another soldier killed in Gaza Boris Dunavetzki 21 from Kiryat Bialik bringing total deaths in Gaza operation to 122.

- Hezbollah shot 6 missiles at the Margaliot region in the north

- A public opinion poll conducted by Harvard University in the USA: 51% of young people in America believe that the right solution to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ending the existence of the State of Israel.

- Israel Defense chiefs take blame for hostage killings, and issued new protocols as they did not plan for hostages to be on the battlefield.  They note complexities of Gaza battlefield

 Netanyahu rejects calls to halt fight for deal freeing remaining hostages.

- Massive Hamas tunnel discovered: The IDF has revealed the largest-ever Hamas attack tunnel discovered by the military, in the northern Gaza Strip, close to the Erez border crossing. The tunnel, of which around four kilometers, goes down some 50 meters underground in some areas and appears to be wide enough for vehicles to pass through. It did not enter Israeli territory. One of the shafts was found just 400 meters from the Erez Crossing, which until Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, facilitated the movement of Arab civilians into Israel for work and medical care. The IDF says that over the last few weeks, the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahaom unit and Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade used “advanced intelligence and technological means” to uncover the “strategic” tunnel network, scan it, and clear it of any potential threats. The tunnel has several branches and junctions, along with plumbing, electricity, and communication lines, according to the IDF. In some parts of the tunnel, troops found blast doors, which the IDF said were intended to prevent troops from entering.

- Sen. Lindsey Graham on says Israel will have to accept a two-state solution if it wants to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia on the day after.