Jewish Federation Update on Israel v. Hamas, Israel v. Hezbollah

This week’s update includes the devastating news that four more hostages have died, including Amiram Cooper (85), whose family resides in San Diego. We extend our deepest condolences to Rotem and Dahlia Cooper and their family, and to all the families affected by this tragedy. May their memories be a blessing. We continue to demand and pray for the safe return of every single remaining hostage.

Some other things to know:

• In the north, Hezbollah continues to fire at Israeli targets, triggering significant Israeli retaliations. Hezbollah has launched thousands of projectiles at Israel, including a surge of drone attacks, on a near-daily basis since October 8. These attacks have resulted in at least 24 total deaths, dozens of injuries, and massive destruction of property.
• The IDF has located and destroyed a major Hamas tunnel in Rafah, next to the border crossing with Egypt. The tunnel was used by the terror group to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Troops had found several tunnel shafts in the Rafah area (including one in a child’s bedroom), which led to the discovery of the 1.2-mile-long underground route.
• Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the contours of a new potential hostage deal. Earlier today, however, Arab media reported that Hamas had rejected the deal. As a result, Israel’s War Cabinet and the extended Security Cabinet, both of which were to convene this evening to discuss the deal, have canceled their meetings.