IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi will hold a crucial meeting on Sunday of virtually all of the military’s high command and brigadier generals-division commanders to plot out the future of the war.
Regarding Gaza, where much of the war was over in northern Gaza in early January and in the rest of Gaza other than Rafah, by early February, the focus will be learning lessons for improving in any future operations, even as Hamas is not currently a true security threat.
Addressing the North, there is a more intense focus because there could still be a broader general war in the coming weeks or months. Part of the meeting will be especially focused on preventing Hamas from using Ramadan to cause the IDF to make mistakes that could unnecessarily inflame the region.
In Gaza on Thursday, IDF troops unearthed a weapons cache under a bed in a bedroom in Khan Yunis and a rocket launcher near a school, the military said. According to the military, the discoveries came after forces conducted special targeted missions in the center of a built-up area.
During operations, the troops raided apartments used for terrorists’ hideouts in addition to Hamas military strongholds. In the same area, the soldiers found a rocket launcher near a school and subsequently destroyed it, the military added.
The Hezbollah front
In the North, Hezbollah launched numerous rocket attacks from Lebanon into the Malkia area of northern Israel. The IDF counterattacked a series of Hezbollah military compounds.
One Hezbollah military compound struck by IDF fighter jets was located in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon. IDF artillery also struck the area of Wadi Hamoul, removing a threat. Additionally, The IDF struck terrorist infrastructure in the area of Yaroun.
Separately, a Hamas Nukhba terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre attempted to end his own life in an Israeli prison, Israeli media reported on Thursday afternoon.
The terrorist was reportedly hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. Reports have indicated that around two dozen Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli police custody. In some of these cases, a number of policemen are under criminal investigation.