DAY 117 OF THE GAZA WAR: Five Deaths Announced Today, Fighting in Northern Gaza, Hostage Deal?

Tel Aviv Diary January 31, 2024

I Will Be Giving the Bi-Weekly Zoom Briefing this Sunday February 4th, at 6 PM Israel time 11 AM US Eastern Time.

Regrettably, as I anticipated, this morning's news was disheartening. It was announced that three soldiers were killed in combat yesterday. Two of the fatalities occurred in battles at Khan Younis, and one in the Shati region of Gaza City, in the North. It was announced that police officer Sgt. Ran Gvili (24) was killed on October 7th and his body was subsequently taken to Gaza. Until now, he was classified as missing and presumed to be a hostage.

(from left to right) of police officer Sgt. First Class Ran Gvili (24), confirmed to have been killed by terrorists on October 7; and Maj. (res.) Netzer Simchi (30), left, Warrant Officer Yuval Nir (43), and Cpt. (res.) Gavriel Shani (28), who were killed in Gaza on January 30, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces).

Late this afternoon, news was released that a fourth soldier, a commander in the elite Shaldag Air Force Unit, fell in battle today in Shati.

The IDF reported the elimination of 100 Hamas terrorists yesterday, most of in Northern Gaza, many in the area of Shifa Hospital. This is an area over which the IDF claimed to have taken control and cleared of Hamas presence. As such, the IDF had moved its troops out of those areas. Despite the efforts to stop Gaza residents from returning to the North, evidently, these measures have been ineffective. Consequently, we do possess full control over Northern Gaza. While our forces can enter and exit as we wish, they remain vulnerable to attack each time they do so.

IN THE NORTH

Along the Northern border was quieter than usual today. There was one attack on Metullah that destroyed a private home. Additionally, this evening, missiles were fired on Shlomi. Ongoing stormy weather in the region has limited Hezbollah's ability to launch attacks. In contrast, Israel’s Air Force, equipped with all-weather capabilities, can easily and effectively counter Hezbollah’s limited firing.

THE HOSTAGE DEAL?

Despite indications yesterday that Hamas might be open to implementing the initial phase of a prisoner exchange, there has been no confirmation from them regarding their willingness to proceed. This evening, it was revealed that Hamas leader Haniya, who was expected in Cairo today, will only arrive tomorrow night. This delay has postponed any potential response from Hamas concerning the hostage exchange agreement

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In Israel, the prevailing view is that even if Hamas agrees in principle to the current proposal framework, negotiating the details will be a complex and time-consuming process. The potential of an impending agreement continues to have significant political waves within Israel. Today, opposition leader Yair Lapid, declared that his party would be prepared to join the government in place of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, should the latter obstruct a deal to release the hostages. In response, the official response of the Likud party was to criticize Lapid, accusing him of being willing to surrender to Hamas.

SPERM PRESERVATION FOR FALLEN SOLDIERS

In previous wars, the significant issue of preserving the sperm of soldiers killed in combat was raised. In 2022, new legislation was enacted, granting parents or partners of fallen soldiers the right to request sperm preservation. Consequently, this procedure has become an integral part of the notification process. As a result, in 40% of the cases involving soldiers who have fallen in the current conflict, their sperm has been preserved, thereby enabling their parents or partners to potentially use it in the future.

PROTESTING THE WAR ABROAD

In a strange conflict within the ranks of the left-wing … The BDS movement has been attacking the Israeli-Palestinian organization “Standing Together”. Although Standing Together, advocates for a ceasefire, opposes Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and believes in a shared Israeli Palestinian future, it is still deemed unacceptable by the BDS movement because it engages with Israelis.

This morning, I listened to last night's PBS Newshour. They had a segment on how the Gaza War has invaded local politics. They aired excerpts from several city council meetings in different parts of the US, where activists were demanding the city pass resolutions calling for a ceasefire, or calling on the Biden Administration to end support for Israel. I cannot remember any other instance in foreign policy, particularly one not directly involving the United States, that ever became part of local politics. The anti-Israel forces in the US seem very well organized, and exceptionally determined to promote their message.

FINANCIAL TROUBLES OF THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

The lack of Palestinian and foreign workers has brought much of Israel’s building industry to a halt. Builders are unable to complete projects. Today, the Governor General of the Bank of Israel warned that a significant number of builders could be at financial risk, and given the very large amount of credit extended to these builders in the past few years, he warned that this could potentially negatively impact the financial stability of the banks.

BUSINESS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries received an advance of $500 million from pharmaceutical giant Sanofi as part of a collaboration in developing an innovative drug. This advance enabled the company to surpass market forecasts for its revenues and profits in the fourth quarter of 2023. It compensated for a weak quarter in the American generic market and a mediocre profit forecast for 2024.

Teva (+3.87% to 4400) earned $461 million, or 41 cents per share, in the fourth quarter of 2023 under the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (US GAAP), compared to a loss of $1.3 billion, or $1.17 per share, in the corresponding quarter of 2022.