Israel at War: What happened on Day 55?

A bombshell report by the New York Times claims that Israeli officials had a detailed, approximately 40-page document outlining "point by point" the plans for a Hamas attack on Israeli soil, but dismissed the plan as aspirational and beyond the group's capacities.

The document, which authorities codenamed "Jericho Wall," is reported to have outlined "a methodical assault" in which drones would attack Israel's surveillance system as terrorists entered the country on foot and using paragliders and motorcycles under the cover of a barrage of rockets.

The document is also said to have included the locations and sizes of IDF forces in the area, and specifically stated as an objective to overwhelm the military base in Re'im, the site of the nature party on October 7 that was targeted early in the attack. At the top of the document was a quotation from the Qur'an: "Surprise them through the gate. If you do, you will certainly prevail." 

The plans "circulated widely among Israeli military and intelligence leaders," the report says. The IDF's Gaza division wrote an assessment of it, reporting plans for "a new raid, unprecedented in its scope," but concluding that the plans were a "compass," detailing Hamas's ambitions for the future, rather than an immediate plan of action. 

Pictures of the participants of the Nova party who were murdered and kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023 are displayed at the site of the Nova music festival massacre, in Re'im, near the Israeli-Gaza border, November 28, 2023 (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Colonel called the plans "totally imaginative," said to "wait patiently"

Then, in July 2023, the IDF's signal intelligence division, Unit 8200, reported that Hamas had been spotted conducting training exercises that mirrored the blueprint in "Jericho Wall," including exercises to simulate shooting down Israeli airplanes, occupying a kibbutz, and overrunning a military base.

During the exercise, Hamas terrorists used the same quotation from the Quran that appeared at the top of the "Jericho Wall" document. The Unit 8200 analyst who wrote the report warned that Hamas was building the capacity to put the plan into action, and that the exercises Hamas was engaged in closely reflected what was outlined in the document. 

The colonel who received the report apparently called the exercise "totally imaginative," saying, "in short, let's wait patiently."  

An internal debate followed, with others endorsing the analyst's warning. One even invoked the example of the Yom Kippur War, writing "We already underwent a similar experience 50 years ago on the southern front in connection with a scenario that seemed imaginary, and history may repeat itself if we are not careful."

That comparison has been ubiquitous in Israel since the first moments of the attack. 

A previous warning, also unheeded

"Jericho Wall" was not the first intelligence that had prompted such a debate, the Times reports. In September 2016, the Ministry of Defense prepared a top-secret memo, signed by then-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman, warning of an invasion and hostage-taking operation by Hamas.

The memo outlined Hamas's purchases of drones, GPS jammers, and other sophisticated weaponry. It also reported that Hamas had swelled its fighting force by 6,000 men in two years, and aimed to grow it from 27,000 to 40,000 by 2020.

The aunt of released Israeli hostage Mia Schem told Israel media on Thursday that her niece had been "operated on in Gaza by a veterinarian."

Shem appeared in a video by Hamas early after October 7 having just come out of surgery.

Her aunt's statement contradicts what Schem stated in the video while in Hamas custody, “Hi, I’m Mia Schem, 21 years old from Shoham. Currently, I’m in Gaza. I returned early Saturday morning from Sderot; I was at a party. I was seriously injured in my hand. I underwent surgery on my hand at the hospital [in Gaza] for 3 hours. They are taking care of me, giving me medicine, everything is fine. I only ask that they bring me home as soon as possible to my parents, to my siblings. Get me out of here as soon as possible. Please.”

Hamas will release only six Israeli citizens tonight, according to Israeli media.

Hamas released a video of Yarden Bibas, father to Kfir (10 months) and Ariel (4), and husband to Shiri, who were all captured by Hamas on October 7. Rumors have circulated that Shiri and the two children have been killed in Gaza but the IDF stated that these claims could not be verified.



"The Hamas terrorist organization presented harsh documentation of Yarden Bibas," IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated on Thursday night. "Our hearts are with the entire Bibas family. We will continue to return all our captives. Hamas employs psychological terror against the families of the captives. Its purpose is to exert pressure, to harm our resilience. The testimonies about the Bibas families are not verified. The world must demand Hamas release the captives."

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan has landed in Israel for a surprise, non-official visit to meet with the families of victims of Hamas's October 7 invasion of the South. 

The visit will not include Gaza, which the prosecutor had demanded, and even had made a public display of visiting the Egyptian/Gaza border on October 29 to try to pressure Israel to allow him in and to speed up the pace of allowing in humanitarian aid.

The entrance of the Internatinal Criminal Court (ICC) is seen in The Hague March 3, 2011. (credit: REUTERS/JERRY LAMPEN)

No announcement ahead of visit

No announcement was made either by the ICC or any government body in advance of the visit and no itinerary has been publicly shared, though discussions about a visit of some kind go back a long time.

Leading into this surprise visit, the prosecutor had recently met with some of the Israeli families who flew to see him in The Hague.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday expressed his 'great joy' upon the release of a Franco-Israeli woman who was held hostage in Gaza, saying Paris will keep working towards the release of those still detained by Hamas.

The freed hostage, 21-year-old Mia Schem, was seized at a dance party along with many of the other hostages abducted into Gaza. Schem also holds French nationality.

"I share this great joy with her family and all French people", Macron said in a statement on X.

Two Israeli hostages, Mia Schem and Amit Soussana, were handed over to the Red Cross and were on their way to Israeli territory, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit stated on Thursday evening.

IDF and security service agents will accompany them back home.

These are the first two Israeli hostages to be released without all Israeli hostages together- the only other was Roni Krivoy who was released as a foreigner under his Russian passport.

Amit Soussana released from Hamas captivity November 30, 2023 (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

In the coming hours, additional Israeli hostages are expected to be handed over to the Red Cross.

First two hostages released on Thursday

Soussana, 40, was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists after they invaded her home in Kfar Aza, one of the hardest hit communities on October 7.

Amit is the youngest of three sisters, a lawyer by profession, and she moved to Kfar Aza a year ago. She grew up in Sderot.

Schem, 21, was at the Nova festival with her friend on October 7 when Hamas terrorists kidnapped her.

The US Treasury's top terrorism financing official said on Thursday he discussed with Turkish government officials his "profound concern" about Palestinian terrorist group Hamas raising funds domestically and potentially breaking local law.

Turkey was "prominent" in Hamas fundraising schemes and the group was likely to take advantage of that as it seeks more funding amid war with Israel, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in Istanbul.

Unlike most of its Western allies and some Gulf states, Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist group and hosts some of its members.

Israel summoned Spain's ambassador for a reprimand after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday that he doubted Israel was respecting international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed his foreign minister to call in Spain's ambassador for a reprimand "after the shameful statement by the Spanish prime minister on the same day that Hamas terrorists are murdering Israelis in our capital Jerusalem."

Two Hamas terrorists killed three people at a Jerusalem bus stop during morning rush hour on Thursday.