Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 377?

The IDF confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Thursday.

The IDF and ISA confirm that after a year-long pursuit yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7 Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis.

During the "Swords of Iron" war, technology became a cornerstone of the IDF's operational activities, with digital systems and technological innovations contributing significantly to combat management and supporting ground forces. 

In an era of multi-branch warfare, where coordination between forces is critical, the Southern Command has become a pioneer in data utilization, implementing smart systems, and enhancing field capabilities and operational control.

"We are a body focused on data utilization within the command headquarters and its units," Lt. Col. Alex Lidogoster, commander of the Big Data Unit in the Southern Command, said. "The Southern Command is a pioneer among the regional commands in these fields. During the war, many ideas sprouted here, but not all of them came to fruition. However, we achieved dozens of outcomes. Some are related to data collection, some to data organization, and the broader category focuses on data utilization."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Egypt on Wednesday evening after a trip to the Kingdom of Jordan. It is part of a regional tour that has seen him travel to the Gulf and also other Arab states. This appears to be an unprecedented number of trips in a short period of time for any Iranian envoy historically.

Araghchi is hitting the ground running to fill the shoes of the previous Iranian foreign minister, who died in a helicopter crash. He has visited Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman in the last few weeks.

Araghchi's trip is important because he is not only visiting countries that are close to Iran historically or where Iran has interests, such as Lebanon or Iraq; rather, he is doing outreach to countries that have peace with Israel and which are close to the West, such as Jordan and Egypt.

Germany will continue to help Israel defend itself by supplying weapons, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, adding that Israel must abide by international law and that a two-state solution was the ultimate goal.

"For me, however, it is clear that supporting Israel also means that we are constantly ensuring Israel's defence capability, for example by supplying military goods or weapons," said Scholz on the sidelines of an EU leaders' summit.

The EU's foreign policy chief on Thursday appeared to criticize the United States giving Israel one month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that during that time, too many people would die.

"The US has been saying to Israel that they have to improve humanitarian support to Gaza, but they gave one month delay. One month delay at the current pace of people being killed. It's too many people," Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels, adding that the situation was a "catastrophe."

Israel must take steps over the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid, US officials said on Wednesday, in the strongest such warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago.

A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL mission brought down an unmanned flying object off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, a spokesperson for the German defense ministry told Reuters.

The dpa news agency first reported on the incident.

IDF Spokesperson in Arabic Avichay Adraee urged residents in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon to evacuate certain buildings specified on the map in a post to X/Twitter on Thursday morning. 

The statement cautioned residents to avoid facilities affiliated with Hezbollah, noting that the IDF would operate in that area. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Cairo late on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian officials, the first such visit in years as part of a Middle Eastern tour amid concerns of a wider confrontation in the region with Israel.

Tensions are high in anticipation of the nature of an expected Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation for Iran's missile attack on October 1. That followed a rapidly spiralling conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Araghchi arrived for "important talks with Egypt's high ranking officials that will be held tomorrow [Thursday]," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, after stops in countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Lebanon.

The United States conducted precision strikes on Wednesday against five underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

"US forces targeted several of the Houthis' underground facilities housing various weapons components of types that the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels throughout the region," Austin said.

The attack comes after the US military earlier this month carried out 15 strikes against targets linked to Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen, where residents reported blasts at military outposts and an airport.

Rocket sirens sounded in several localities in northern Israel early on Thursday morning, including in the areas of Haifa, Yokne’am, Acre, and the Upper Galilee. 

Following the sirens that sounded in northern Israel, two projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the IDF stated on Thursday morning. One projectile was intercepted by the Israel Air Force, and the other fell in an open area. 

This is a developing story.