Swords of Iron: Here is what happened on days 3, 4 and 5

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called National Unity leader Benny Gantz in for a meeting on Tuesday evening as an emergency government was yet to be formed on the fourth day of the war with Hamas.

Despite unanimous agreements from all coalition members that an emergency government was necessary as well as opposition leaders Gantz, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman saying they would be willing to join it, no such thing had been formed by Tuesday evening.

Only the previous evening, Netanyahu had made a statement to the nation in which he told the opposition leaders to join an emergency government immediately.

The IDF's air force had attacked 2,329 targets in Gaza in its counter-attack following Hamas' Saturday invasion, with that volume being double the number of targets from just slightly earlier this week, as of Tuesday evening.

While the IDF said that 1,034 of those targets were serious impact targets, still a very small amount of Hamas' full pool of fighters and rockets have been eliminated.

To make a larger impact on those issues, the world is still waiting for when the IDF's anticipated counter-invasion will start.

Two Hamas terrorists were killed near the southern kibbutz of Re'im on Tuesday evening, the IDF confirmed on Tuesday.

On the third day of war between Hamas and Israel, residents of northern Israel were rushing to evacuate towns near the Lebanese border and buying essentials in preparation for a possible escalation.

As in much of the country, an eerie silence prevailed throughout the north, broken only by the rain showers periodically breaking over the area.

Driving up from central Israel, there was relatively little traffic on what is usually one of Israel’s busiest highways, Highway 6. On both sides of the road, tanks and military bulldozers on carriers headed to the southern and northern border.

At what would usually be rush hours, shopping centers in Acre and Nahariya were largely closed. Those few who were there to grab essentials in preparation for the coming days and weeks shopped quietly, without the usual bustle.

In Acre, the only active business was the grocery store, where dozens of people could be seen stocking up on food and essentials.

'It feels exactly like the Yom Kippur War.'

While most shoppers preferred not to talk, an elderly man from Kiryat Shmona said he had come to Acre to stay with his daughter.

“It feels exactly like the Yom Kippur War,” the man said to The Jerusalem Post. “There’s nothing to feel.”

While driving around Nahariya, rows upon rows of tanks and armored vehicles with soldiers perched on top lined up, ready to head north when needed.

The United States is considering sending a second naval aircraft carrier closer to Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday evening citing US defense officials.

On Sunday, the US announced it will move a carrier strike group closer to Israel, which includes the Ford carrier and ships that support it.

The Pentagon will also be adding fighter jets in the East Mediterranean region. Austin said the US will provide munitions to Israel and that its security assistance will begin moving on Sunday.

Turkey: US carrier strike group will commit 'serious massacres' in Gaza

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday criticized the United States for moving a carrier strike group closer to Israel, saying that it would commit "serious massacres" in Gaza.

‘Today is better than yesterday,” says Noam Ivri Adanani. He’s a 37-year-old who lives in Sderot with his wife. They have been in Sderot since April 2021. Like the other 30,000 residents of Sderot, they were trapped in their home, mostly in their sheltered room in their house, as missiles were fired from Gaza and terrorists penetrated the city and fought a gun battle with police.  

Sderot is very close to the Gaza border and has been a target of rocket fire for two decades. Its residents are used to wars and know the drill. However, they were not prepared for the disaster of October 7. Today Noam says that as the country prepares for a possible ground invasion there is talk of residents moving away. “We are intent on staying here.”

Sderot’s residents have been steadfast in the face of rockets in the past and the city has flourished in recent years, with new homes and community centers, playgrounds, and parks. Ivri Adanani had already experienced several short conflicts in the city; the 2021 operation and the clashes in 2022 and 2023 with Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. 

“On the morning of October 7 at 6:30, we were woken up by rockets being launched. It is Simhat Torah, and we have relatives from outside of Sderot staying for the holiday with us or at my mother-in-law’s place in the same building,” he recalls. He observes Shabbat so the phone was off. But they heard the sirens and booms from interceptions overhead. They opened their phone to see the huge amount of rockets being fired. “we felt in our gut this is not good,” he says. 

Soon they began to see videos from Sderot that showed armed Hamas members in a pickup truck in the city. “The videos were from a main square in the city, it was clear this could not have been doctored.” Now fear set in. Hamas was using paragliders in the attack, they could land on rooftops. The family went to their safe room locked the doors and closed the shutters on the balcony. Ten people from the extended family crammed into the safe room. There were kids as well, some who were not from Sderot and had no experience with rocket fire. “There was uncertainty. We briefly went out to the balcony and heard gunfire. This was probably the battle where the terrorists took over the police station. Off-duty officers were supposedly called by their besieged compatriots to come to the station and mount a defense and had a shootout.” 

Reports circulated among family members from another part of the city of seeing gunmen and terrorists with an RPG. 

 Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is expected to take part in a meeting of NATO defense ministers via videoconference on Thursday, a Western official said.

The meeting in Brussels was previously scheduled to address issues including the war in Ukraine and NATO missions in Kosovo and Iraq but a session with Gallant was added following Hamas' large-scale attack on Israel on Saturday, the official said on Tuesday.

“Israel is a sovereign democracy that seeks peace, and Hamas are barbaric, antisemitic monsters who thirst for Jewish blood,” said Public Diplomacy Minister Galit Distel Atbaryan. “We need the world, once and for all, to understand the true face of our enemies.”

Distel Atbaryan assumed her position shortly after the establishment of the new government. However, the primary objective of her office, which is to enhance Israel’s public image, has been marred by persistent turmoil. This instability has manifested through a constant staff turnover, significantly impacting the effectiveness of the ministry’s work.

But when Hamas initiated a conflict with Israel on Saturday, resulting in the tragic loss of over 900 innocent lives, the Public Diplomacy Ministry immediately mobilized its resources and efforts.

Before Shabbat concluded, the ministry obtained Hamas footage and promptly initiated its dissemination across various social media platforms. Simultaneously, it harnessed the support of a vast network of influential figures worldwide, encompassing personalities from Hollywood and even renowned sports players, to amplify the reach of these messages.

“We opened a lot of groups with thousands of influencers worldwide, and we send them our key messages,” Distel Atbaryan told The Jerusalem Post. “Most of the time, we work under the radar and don’t take credit for our work.”

Two Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated Israel were killed near Sderot in southern Israel after the IDF conducted a manhunt for the infiltrating Hamas terrorists.

The Palestinian terrorists reportedly entered Mefalsim before escaping to an open field toward Sderot. They were gunned down by Israeli forces.

The entrance to the southern city was blockaded by dozens of Israeli security forces. A manhunt for a third terrorist continued, the IDF noted.

Four more infiltrating terrorists gunned down

Earlier in the day, Israeli forces killed four Hamas terrorists who attempted to infiltrate southern Israel from Zikim Beach, near the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday afternoon, the IDF said.

A 21-year-old American-Israel soldier was confirmed dead following Saturday's tragic massacre in which over 900 Israelis were killed by Hamas. However, his family was unable to locate his body, till Tuesday evening, when the IDF confirmed his identification. The family is hoping to hold the funeral on Wednesday morning.

Staff Sergeant Roey Weiser, originally from Efrat in Gush Etzion, served in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade. He was stationed at the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

In an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Weiser's father, Yami, stated, "My son Roey fell defending the southern border as a hero. We were informed of his demise by the IDF on Sunday afternoon. Yet, we've had no subsequent news regarding the retrieval of his body for burial. Our sole wish is to lay Roey to eternal rest and grieve properly." He implored fellow Israelis to share his plea in hopes that it might reach someone able to assist the family.

A relative, in conversation with The Jerusalem Post, mentioned, "Roey's bravery shone when he attempted to divert the terrorists during the early stages of the battle, saving at least 12 fellow soldiers."