Israel At War Tuesday Dec 26

 Israel at war day 81

- President Biden and the Qatari Emir discussed efforts today to broker a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and release hostages including American citizens.

- Israel reportedly returns the bodies of 80 Palestinians who were killed in Gaza after taking them from morgues and graves to check there were no hostages among them

- A statement from CENTCOM says the USS Laboon, a guided-missile destroyer, and an unspecified number of F-18 fighter jets shot down 12 attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles that the Houthis launched over a 10-hour stretch.

No ships were damaged and there were no reports of injuries.

- IDF chief Halevi: This war has necessary and not easy goals to achieve, it takes place in complex territory. That’s why the war will continue for many more months, and we will work with different methods, so that the achievement will be maintained for a long time,” the IDF is constantly learning and adapting its fighting methods to each area of the Gaza Strip it operates in. “There are no magic solutions, no shortcuts in the thorough dismantling of a terror organization, but stubborn and determined fighting. And we are very, very determined,” Halevi says.

- 3 soldiers killed bringing total to 161 in Gaza operation

Maor Lavie,33 from Swisa

Shay Shamriz, 36 Mercaz Shapira

Shaul Greengkick, 26 Kfar Saba

- Another soldier killed in Gaza yesterday 

 Yosef Gitars,25, from Tel Aviv

Soldier dies from his wounds up north after Hezbollah attack, Daniel Nachmani, 21 Kfar Saba

- Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel is being attacked from  seven separate locations Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran,” and have already responded and acted in six of these areas. Analysts point out Israel may have caused a cyber attack last week in Iran disrupting refineries.

- Rocket sirens sound in the southern Israel city of Ashkelon and across Gaza border communities for the first time in 13 hours.

- Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile from Lebanon at a church in northern Israel, wounding a civilian.

- Nikki Haley: “Hamas invaded Israel on October 7th, October 7th is Putin's birthday” Russian intelligence helped hamas breach the border in order to distract attention from the Russia Ukraine war