Israel-Hamas war day 336: What's happening in Gaza and Lebanon?

The IDF announced on Friday night that they had struck more than 15 launch sites in southern Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah.

The IDF also said that some of the launchers that were attacked were ready to fire rockets into Israel.

The IDF operated across the West Bank, the Jordan Valley, and the Gaza Strip over the last week, carrying out numerous counter-terrorism operations which saw the elimination of over 100 terrorists and dozens of weapons and explosives seized, the military said on Friday evening.

As part of operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Far'a, approximately 35 terrorists were eliminated, and 45 others were apprehended. During these operations, the military successfully confiscated dozens of weapons and explosives, and three explosive labs were destroyed.

In the North, the military conducted approximately 50 strikes on buildings, infrastructure, and weapon storage sites, in addition to dozens of rocket launchers aimed at northern communities.

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF struck and dismantled over 40 terror infrastructures, including Hamas command and control centers disguised as schools, colleges, and humanitarian areas. During the Gaza operations, more than 100 terrorists were eliminated, and several tunnel shafts were discovered.

Hamas has added new demands to its list of conditions for a Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing one Arab and a number of American officials.

These new demands were added after the terror group announced last week that they would begin murdering the hostages should IDF forces get too close. 

Hamas’s new execution policy was reportedly put in place after Operation Arnon, which saw four captives rescued in June. 

Two back-to-back diplomatic stands, one from the States and one from Israel, mark the eleventh month of war with six hostages being recently executed in Gaza. The United States said that Israel agreed to remove its military from the densely populated areas along the Philadelphi Corridor, also known as Saladin Axis, as part of a truce prisoner swap deal.

“The deal itself, the proposal, and the bridging proposal that we started working with included the removal of Israel Defense Forces from all densely populated areas, including those areas along the corridor. That’s the proposal Israel agreed to,” said the White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Tuesday.

Kirby added as well that US President Joe Biden has, in numerous conversations with Netanyahu, as with counterparts in Qatar and Egypt, stressed the importance of “doing everything” to conclude this proposal, which, according to him, “was an Israeli proposal agreed to at the end of May.”

“The United States is desperate for a ceasefire for two reasons: the elections and Iran. If a deal happens, the electors, both Jewish and Muslim, may favor this more, and also the threat of Iran and its proxies may ‘cease’ according to them, but Israel knows this is not the case,” Daniel Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, told The Media Line.

Screenshot of Hamas's threat to release the last messages of the hostages, September 2, 2024. (credit: screenshot)

Negotiations 

Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Monday signaled that he wouldn’t compromise on this issue and demanded control of the corridor in any ceasefire deal, stalling once again negotiations for the release of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“The corridor is the oxygen of Hamas. No one is more committed than me to freeing the hostages. No one will preach to me on this issue,” Netanyahu affirmed in a press release on Monday. “Netanyahu will never accept to give up the corridor completely. There could be minor changes, mainly in the number of troops and their deployment, but there will still be an Israeli military presence. If Israel withdraws from Gaza, it won’t be able to enter back afterward,” Zaki Shalom, professor at the Misgav Institute, explained to The Media Line.

“America is not able to exert significant pressure on Israel right now. Biden’s biased approach in the past months has damaged America’s reliability in the region and has shown his moderate response to American citizens’ deaths. So, if the States try to push for a change of the agreement, this will lead to the final loss of its credibility as an ally all over the world, plus democrats will lose Jewish voters at the elections, which may favor Trump.”

Diker agreed that pulling out of the Philadephi corridor would be catastrophic for Israel and would symbolize a victory for Hamas since it is a strategic military site.

After eleven months of war and still no deal, the country's citizens remain skeptical of a ceasefire solution.

According to The Israel Democracy Institute, August 2024 Israeli Voice Index—conducted by IDI’s Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research—Jewish Israelis are overwhelmingly pessimistic (78.5%) regarding the chance for a ceasefire deal that would lead to a release of hostages. Arab Israelis are divided evenly between optimistic (48%) and pessimistic (49%) about a deal. Across the sample, 73.5% are pessimistic, and about 21% are optimistic.

Just on the eleventh month of the war, American Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against senior Hamas leaders this Monday for the deaths of at least 43 American citizens in Israel on October 7th.

“As of the date of this complaint, at least 43 American citizens were among those murdered by the group, and at least 10 were taken hostage or remain unaccounted for”, affirmed the document.

“The timing is too little too late; this should have been done months ago. Although, this move gives America financial leverage in the area of terror financing and sets a precedent for cooperation with Israel to do the same thing. It is not totally pointless to do this now, but it is more symbolic,” Diker explained.

On Sunday, Hersh Goldberg Polin, an American-Israeli citizen, was found dead in a tunnel in Rafah with five other hostages. His death reopened the wound among those Israelis who have been demonstrating for the end of the war and the return of the captives over these months.

“The chances of an agreement now are very small; it may end up with another failure. Hamas knows the value of the hostages, which are its warrant. Meanwhile, Israel seems unmoving on the Philadelphi corridor,” Shalom concluded.

“We saw the Israeli policy colliding with the American one over the months. I think that America actually prefers a weaker Israel, which is more dependent on the States’ choices and less self-sustaining,” Diker concluded.

Giorgia Valente is a recent graduate of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and an intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Friday it had terminated proceedings against late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh following his death in July.

The ICC is currently weighing the request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders that were made earlier this year.

Family members of the hostage Evyatar David released a video of David received from Hamas shortly after he was taken hostage on October 7, N12 reported on Friday.

"Never have I seen a person so terrified," N12 quoted David's family saying. The family noted they had expected an execution video rather than a video confirming he was taken hostage.

The video begins by showing David, wearing a torn shirt, being hit by a gun's stock while his arms are handcuffed and behind his back on a pick-up truck, presumably inside the Gaza Strip.

While David's face is only half visible, "the terror is felt in every second," his family captioned the video.

"בחיים לא ראיתי בן אדם מפחד ככה": בני משפחתו של אביתר דוד פרסמו תיעוד חדש מחטיפתוhttps://t.co/a7xEIjokcj | @michalpeylan pic.twitter.com/yfiNwqDTai

— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) September 6, 2024

Shortly after October 7, when David was still considered missing, Yaella, David's sister, received a message with an image where David's terror is seen, and confirming he was taken hostage.

The video mentions that Yaella received two additional videos after the image. In the first video, David is seen with hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal and other young Israeli captives, all on the floor of a dark room with their hands cuffed behind their backs."

Evyatar David (credit: COURTESY OF THE FAMILY)

'Expected to see an execution'

In the second video filmed by Hamas that Yaella received, David, still wearing the same torn shirt, is seen being dragged in a headlock through one of Gaza's streets "with the same look of terror," his family stated.

Yaella further emphasized she had "expected to see an execution, never have I imagined he would be taken hostage." 

David's brother, Ilay, added to Yaella's description of David's fear, emphasizing he has never seen someone as terrified as David is seen in the video.

Both siblings expressed their hopes for his safe return, saying they "always imagine the moment Evyatar returns and hugs our parents. We will wait however long we must wait."

They further stated they were certain their brother was still alive and that he would return, stating, "This is the only solution."

The Hostage Families Forum on Friday announced that it was calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, and all health organizations to condemn Hamas’s murder of hostages in Gaza captivity publicly and to advocate for the release and protection of the remaining hostages.

Carmel Gat had been among the six hostages discovered murdered last week in a tunnel in Rafah. She had been training to work as an occupational therapist. 

“Carmel Gat, of blessed memory, was a dedicated occupational therapist specializing in mental health. Even in captivity, her compassion never wavered. Carmel remained a beacon of hope and support, continuing to care for others and supporting fellow hostages through daily yoga and meditation,” the forum said. 

Professor Hagai Levine, head of the health team at the Hostages Families Forum, added, "The silence of international health organizations regarding the murder of hostages this week is disappointing and painful. We expect them to address harm to all individuals, including the hostages in Gaza."

Hamas released a video of murdered hostage Almog Sarusi on Friday afternoon on its official Telegram channel.

In the video, made while captive by Hamas, Sarusi claimed that Israeli bombings had targeted him and his fellow abductees in Gaza.

"Our lives and the lives of our people are not a worthless game in your hands," Sarusi said. "Bring us back home without us losing a single hair from our heads. This way, we know our lives are not worthless, and security is restored again to the country."

Sarusi’s body was discovered alongside the bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Ori Danino in a tunnel underneath Rafah last week. 

The IDF found that the six hostages had been murdered only days before the military found them.

Almog Sarusi on October 7

Sarusi, 27, was abducted from the site of the Nova Music Festival on October 7. Invading terrorists captured Sarusi as he attempted to treat his girlfriend, who was wounded during the attack on southern Israel. 

Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov and Almog Sarusi. (credit: Hostages and Missing Families Forum/Screenshot )

"On October 7, you failed and neglected us," Sarusi said, directing his comments to the security services.

Sarusi's partner Shahar was among the some 1200 people murdered by Hamas on October 7.

In the video, Sarusi prayed, "I ask God that [Shahar] is still alive." 

The 27-year-old proceeded to send his love to his family and ask the Israeli public to demonstrate in support of a hostage deal. 

Hamas releases videos of the other 5 hostages killed

Hamas has released videos of the other hostages killed, including of Yerushalmi, Danino, Goldberg-Polin, Lobanov and Gat.