IDF
Fawzi Amin Sido, taken captive in 2014 at the age of 11, was freed this week and returned to her family.
Rawhi Mushtaha was targeted three months ago along with senior Hamas terrorists Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Odeh.
“May God avenge them. May their memory be a blessing,” the Israeli prime minister said of the eight, all of whom were in their early 20s.
As Israel prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, many of the survivors still lack closure, not knowing the fate of their loved ones.
The IDF chief said that “we will choose when to exact the price,” which officials said will be significant.
West Point scholar John Spencer asserts that Israel has regained its deterrence.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told press that IDF forces also discovered a map of Hezbollah’s plan to invade Northern Israel.
“It is clear to us that the United States is concerned—and so they use ‘tricks’ to try and hinder this,” the official said.
The confirmation came shortly after the IDF declared three northern border communities a closed military zone.
“We will use all the means that may be required—from the air, from the sea, and on land,” the defense minister told IDF troops on the Lebanese border.
While not mentioning Israel specifically, Pope Francis said in response to a question about the IDF’s campaign in Lebanon that all countries must beware the tendency to go “beyond morality” when conducting wars.
Karnei Shomron residents have taken to blocking the entrance to the town with their vehicles to prevent the entry of Palestinian workers, arguing that the IDF is not enforcing its own rules.
