Israel at war day 433: What happened in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria?

The IDF killed a department head in Hamas' Manufacturing Headquarters, a company commander in the Zeitoun Battalion, as well as several terrorists operating within a command center in what used to be the Al-Hurriya School in Gaza City, it announced on Thursday evening.

The Dept. Head, Ammar Daloul, was reportedly a significant source of knowledge for the terrorist organization.

The Israeli air force (IAF) also killed Jihad Yassin, the company commander in the Zeitoun Battalion, the branch responsible for numerous attacks recently carried out against IDF troops. 

Six additional Hamas terrorists were eliminated in the strike, including Yahya Masoud Muhammad Ashqar, who participated in the October 7th Massacre, and Kamal Saber Salim Arafat, Muhammad Muhammad Akram Aaraj, Loay Farid Faiz Hussein Ali, Imad Aouni Ibrahim Rayan and Raed Samir Masoud Harazayn.

Members of Qassam Brigades choir attend a rally marking the 35th anniversary of the Hamas movement's founding, in Gaza City December 14, 2022. (credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA/REUTERS)

Former strikes on schools

On Wednesday, the IDF killed another terrorist in what used to be a school.

The IDF and Shin Bet, in a joint operation, eliminated Fahmi Salami, commander of Hamas’s Nukhba Brigade in its Zeitoun Battalion. He was responsible for the raid on the ‘Paga’ outpost on October 7, in which 14 IDF soldiers were killed. 

He was killed by an IAF jet, under the command of the Gaza Division, while he was operating rom a building formerly used as the Al-Falah school. 

Darcie Grunblatt contributed to this report.

Israeli fighter jets struck various military targets in the areas of Latakia and Tartus on the Syrian coast, known to be Alawite and Assad strongholds, Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reported on Thursday. 

This is a developing story. 

The IDF conducted strikes on Wednesday overnight that targeted two Hamas terrorist gathering points in southern Gaza, the military said on Thursday. 

The terrorists eliminated planned to violently seize humanitarian aid trucks and divert them for Hamas use, the ID added. 

The terrorists were reportedly operating along a route used for humanitarian aid delivery in southern Gaza, and the IDF noted that the strikes aimed to ensure the safe passage of aid to residents in the area. 

Israel will not allow jihadi groups to fill the vacuum created by the collapse of the Syrian regime on Israel's border, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Thursday. 

The PMO said that this was the reason that the IDF entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel's border. 

"This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed," the office stated. 

An Israeli drone was seen flying at low altitude over Beirut on Thursday, Lebanese news outlet Al Jadeed reported. 

Former defense minister Yoav Gallant said that he met with US officials and senators to discuss Israel's war and achieve a possible hostage deal during his visit to Washington in a Wednesday video address posted to X/Twitter.

Gallant met with the officials and senators at the White House and Capitol Hill.

"We discussed the unprecedented success of the State of Israel during the ‘seven-front war against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. We also discussed the recent fall of the [Syrian] regime as a result of these actions," Gallant said.

The terrorist who carried out the shooting attack on Wednesday night that killed 12-year-old Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia at the El-Khader Junction in the West Bank surrendered to security forces on Thursday, the military stated. 

This follows a joint manhunt by the IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) to apprehend the terrorist. 

Mossad chief David Barnea met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha on Wednesday to discuss the Gaza hostage deal and the ceasefire negotiations, according to two sources familiar with the details.

Barnea's visit to Qatar is part of efforts to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations for a deal and transition to direct talks between Israel and Hamas to finalize an agreement before US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20 of next year.

The meeting is the second between the Mossad chief and al-Thani, following their meeting in Vienna in late November.

Hamas has agreed to yield to two of Israel's "key demands" for a ceasefire deal in Gaza,  the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Arab mediators.

The Israeli air force intercepted a drone in southern Israel launched from the east, the IDF reported on Thursday morning.