Live updates day 511: What happened in Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza?

While there are a near limitless number of failures which led to the inability to stop and mitigate Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel on October 7, including the extreme delay in sending reinforcements, two key stunning reasons clarified by the IDF probes on Thursday were denial by commanders that they had been beaten - and utter chaos at IDF headquarters.

The Air Force was carrying out “the Sword of Damocles” operation – a code name only being revealed on Thursday for the first time - to attack many Hamas commanders and their headquarters around 10:30 a.m. on October 7, 2023, just as it was carrying out the “Hannibal Directive” of gunning down anything that moved around the Israel-Gaza border.

The Air Force has been questioned about if the forces it had invested in attacking Hamas commanders deep in Gaza would have been better used to defend the Gaza border and to attack Hamas invaders in Israeli villages.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen bar are blocking State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman's internal probe into October 7, he claimed on Thursday.

"There is no other group or independent body besides us that is investigating what happened," Englman said. "From the very beginning, I announced that we would conduct a comprehensive review of all levels—political, military, and civilian," said Englman, adding that about 200 employees of his office are currently engaged in the audit regarding the failures of October 7 and the "Iron Swords" war.

Englman stated that his office has been conducting audits for months in the Prime Minister's Office, the National Security Council (NSC), and the military secretariat. The teams are reviewing protocols, examining cabinet discussions, and identifying warnings that were raised but ignored.

Engelman mentioned that the defense ministers cooperated from the start, but full cooperation from the IDF and Shin Bet is still lacking. "For the past year and a half, the IDF Chief of Staff and the head of Shin Bet have been preventing an audit on the core failures."

An Israeli Air Force aircraft struck targets in southern Lebanon after the IDF said it observed activity in a Hezbollah military outpost in the area, the Israeli military said on Thursday.

IDF forces thwarted a drug smuggling attempt from Egyptian territory into Israel, the army said on Thursday.

The IDF identified a suspicious drone, and intercepted it, finding 20 kilograms of drugs.

In addition, soldiers arrested two suspects who carried out the smuggling.

At least 12 pedestrians were wounded after a terrorist rammed into pedestrians on Highway 65 near the Pardes Hanna-Karkur intersection, Israel Police confirmed on Thursday afternoon. 

According to MDA, at around 4:18 p.m. local time, a vehicle drove into several pedestrians, and ten people were wounded. 

Hillel Yaffe in Hadera said it had received 12 individuals from the incident, one is in critical condition, two in serious condition, and three in moderate condition. MDA reported that a 17-year-old girl was the person who was critically wounded.

Israeli media reported that two police officers were stabbed at the scene at the Karkur intersection.

The terrorist was shot dead by Israel Police. Police sources told Israeli media that the terrorist was a 24-year-old Israeli Arab from Ma'ale Iron with no criminal or security record. 

However, KAN - citing police sources - said he was actually a 50-year-old Palestinian illegal resident from the northern West Bank.

The Prime Minister's Office expressed 'surprise' at not receiving the IDF's October 7 probes in advance, given they had already been released to army officials and journalists, and demanded the investigations be handed over.

In the Thursday statement, ahead of the publication of the probes at 19:00 p.m., the PMO said, "These investigations were presented to the Defense Minister, the army's senior command staff, and various journalists who were briefed on it. To the greatest surprise, one party has not yet received the investigations - the Prime Minister."

A vehicle rammed into pedestrians on Highway 65 near the Pardes Hanna-Karkur intersection, MDA said on Thursday afternoon. The incident is being investigated as a terror attack, Israel Police said.

According to MDA, at around 4:18 p.m. local time, a vehicle drove into several pedestrians, and eight people were wounded, two of whom are in serious condition. MDA spokesperson Zaki Heller told KAN that those wounded included five men and three women aged 20 to 70.

Six of the victims were evacuated wounded individuals to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera. 

Israeli media reported that two police officers were stabbed at the scene at the Karkur intersection.

The driver of the vehicle apparently fled, according to KAN, and was arrested near Gan Shmuel.

This is a developing story. 

A vehicle rammed into pedestrians on Highway 65 near the Pardes Hanna-Karkur intersection, MDA said on Thursday afternoon.

According to MDA, at around 4:18 p.m. local time, a vehicle drove into several pedestrians, and seven people were wounded, two of whom are in serious condition.

Recently released hostage Tal Shoham has been discharged from Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus, Petah Tikva, after completing the required tests. the hospital announced Thursday.

Shoham will now begin a day rehabilitation process at Beilinson.