November 17, 9:30

IDF spokesperson: The body of IDF soldier Corporal Noa Marciano, who was abducted by the Hamas terrorist organization, was extracted by IDF troops from a structure adjacent to the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip and was transferred to Israeli territory.

Following an identification process that was conducted by military medical and rabbinate personnel, yesterday (Thursday), IDF representatives informed her family that her body was extracted and returned to Israeli territory.
The IDF sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and will continue to support them.

The national task before our eyes is to locate the missing and return the abducted persons home. The IDF is operating alongside and in full coordination with the relevant national and security institutions in order to pursue these tasks. We will not cease from the mission until it will be completed.

May Noa’s memory be a blessing.

Erev Shabbat Parshat Toldos – morning Nov 17

SECOND HOSTAGE BODY FROM SHIFA HOSPITAL… just to clarify, this appears to be the 2nd dead hostage extracted from the hospital complex. Bodies the hospital director was complaining Israel stole from the hospital. Rumors persist that more bodies were extracted, so more such notifications may be coming once the forensic units are able to identify them.

May Hashem avenge their blood.

◾PIJ BASE CAPTURED… IDF: Bislamach Brigade and the elite combat engineering Yahalom unit raided an Islamic Jihad base in northern Gaza yesterday, capturing Bader-3 long rockets, drones, and other weapons, and included a manufacturing site for rockets. The outpost was destroyed.

◾JENIN, TERRORISTS FLED INTO HOSPITAL… IDF clashed with gunmen during a raid in the Samaria city of Jenin and adjacent camp overnight. An IDF drone struck a group of gunmen shooting at the forces. Other terrorists hurling explosives were shot during clashes. The IDF says it killed at least 5 gunmen and captured six assault rifles. Forced detained seven wanted men, including a leader of a local terror group. A group of gunmen fled in cars and an ambulance toward Ibn Sina Hospital in the city to hide there. In a stopped car security forces found 3 assault rifles, a bulletproof vest, and multiple Israeli yellow license plates.

The founder of the ‘Jenin terrorist battalion’ was eliminated.

◾IDF WARNS… (enemy reports) The IDF is distributing leaflets at this time to the residents of Shejaiya (northeast Gaza) to evacuate the area.
The presence of residents in the area may cause them to be harmed in a combat zone.

◾SYRIA ATTACKED… (enemy reports) Syrian reports of an Israeli attack in the Damascus area. The air defense systems of the Syrians in Damascus activated against hostile aerial elements. Arab reports say an Israeli attack on the international airport in Damascus. They report between 8-10 missiles were launched towards Damascus International Airport. (No confirmation from the IDF.) According to Syrian sources, 8 missiles were fired at targets of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Badaliya area of ​​Damascus. The area that was attacked, near the Seida al-Zanev Mosque in Damascus, is known as a Shiite stronghold and concentration point for Iran and its loyalist commanders, forces, and military.

◾JUDEA – HETZEI-YEHUDA ROAD, ATTACK… this morning a terrorist attempted a ramming attack and hit a bollard at Tzomet Zayit, jumped out of the vehicle, and shot at security forces. Forces fired back, eliminating him. No casualties.
◾JUDEA – TARKOMIYA, HEBRON… shooting at IDF forces just now. Terrorist eliminated.

◾HEZBOLLAH ISSUES ATTACK REPORTS… 9 attacks were carried out using anti-tank fire and mortar bombs against IDF forces. This is the most “active” day since the beginning of the fighting in Gaza. (Analyst adds) Pay attention to the repetitive style of Hezbollah’s activity, which is very similar to the activities of the terrorists on the Gaza fence before Black Sabbath – lulling us into a sense of ‘normalcy’ before a push.

◾ENEMY FORCES ON THE MOVE… Syrian sources report that this week, a large group of “Kataib Hezbollah” (Iraqi Hezbollah) terrorists crossed the border from Iraq towards the city of Qusayr in Syria. After organizing, they moved from Syria to Lebanon and were stationed along the Litani River in southern Lebanon. In addition, the terrorists of the Zainbayun militias from Pakistan and Fatmyoun from Afghanistan left the Deir Ez-Zor area in Syria, moved south, and settled in the Quneitra district opposite Israeli territory in the Golan Heights.

◾WEST BANK SURVEY… a survey was published by Bir Zeit University, located in the Palestinian Authority, according to which: 90% of all West Bank residents (and not only Hamas members!), believe that there is no chance of coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians.

◾ARMING UP… The first round of equipping to strengthen the standby units (Kitat Konenut) in the near Gaza towns has been completed: the Ministry of Defense and the IDF have distributed hundreds of new weapons to dozens of standby units in Sderot, the suburbs, and Pethat Nitsana and are preparing to distribute hundreds of additional weapons and personal protective equipment including vests and helmets. Word from Otef Aza, “A month and a half into the war: the Ministry of Defense has indeed purchased and distributed hundreds of weapons – but not yet to all. There is still a lot of combat equipment missing, and many of the standby units are suffering from a lack of vests, helmets, and means of communication, which leads the units begging for donations.” (( Bureaucratic inefficiency, not even a war can overcome. ))

November 17, 12:00

◼IDF spokesperson: A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck several Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including terrorist infrastructure, a weapons storage facility, and a military structure. In addition, the IDF struck a terrorist cell identified in Lebanon in the area adjacent to Arab al-Aramshe.

Furthermore, several launches toward the areas of Malkia and Manarain in northern Israel were identified. The IDF is responding with fire toward the sources of the launches.

◼ Following mortar shelling towards Malkia and Yiftach, there have been road closures in the area.

◼ Gazan sources: Senior Hamas official and chairman of the Gaza Legislative Council, Ahmed Behar, was eliminated in an attack in Gaza.

◼The Palestinians report that the disconnection of communications and internet service in the Gaza Strip continues today.

◼Arab media report that the Israeli Ministry of the Interior has announced the revocation of the citizenship of two militants from East Jerusalem, Majed Aljaba and Rashid Rashek, due to a “breach of trust” to the State of Israel.

SHABBAT !! INSTRUCTIONS !! for those in ISRAEL.

Chief Rabbinute instructions with Risk adjustments
Changes this week for High, Medium, and Lower risk areas.

Erev Shabbat Parshat Toldos – Nov 17

Shabbat Times
Jerusalem – start 3:59 PM – end 5:17 PM
Beit Shemesh – start 4:22 PM – end 5:17 PM
Tel Aviv – start 4:18 PM – end 5:19 PM

Gaza City – start 4:22 PM – ends 5:21 PM

???????? HOMEFRONT COMMAND has changed the emergency status.
High Risk is near Gaza, Sderot, Ashkelon, Lebanon, Metulla, Nahariya, the Golan area, northern Galilee, and Eilat.
Medium risk is Acco, Teveriya, Rosh Pina, and Safed.
Lower risk is everywhere else, south of Haifa and Teveriya, north of Ashdod.

➡ You MUST have a way to hear alerts & emergency instructions, including INFILTRATION alerts or extended shelter instructions! Leave on a silent channel or stream on a computer or phone.

➡ Is your area safe to go to synagogue?
— Follow instructions of Homefront Command and your City Council.
— HIGH RISK – If instructed to stay home or to stay in or near a shelter, DO NOT go to the synagogue unless the synagogue is in a shelter.
— MEDIUM RISK – might be a good idea to make sure the synagogue has a shelter.
— LOWER RISK – normal synagogue, still a good idea to have an ‘if there is a siren’ plan in mind.

➡ Know the safe path TO / FROM synagogue
— If an alert goes off, where will you go to be protected on the way? Plan your route.

➡ IN synagogue, where is shelter? Does it have capacity?
— If an alert goes off in synagogue, KNOW where you will go. Walk over and check the path and capacity.
— HIGH & MEDIUM RISK – If it has no shelter or not enough capacity, choose another or pray at home.

➡ ARE YOU TOO SLOW? Multiple children, to grab?
— HIGH RISK – Stay home to be safe. Elderly, sick, disabled, young children, and parents with multiple children, DO NOT pray in synagogue unless the synagogue is in a shelter in a High-Risk area.
— MEDIUM & LOWER RISK – have a plan if there is a siren.

➡ CHILDREN?
— Older children should be instructed on how to be safe.
— HIGH & MEDIUM RISK – Younger children are at risk! Will you have time to find them and get them to safety? What if you have multiple children to attend? LEAVE THEM HOME.
— LOWER RISK – have a plan in case there is a siren.

➡ CARRY YOUR WEAPON.
— If you have a gun license, it is a MITZVAH to carry your gun on Shabbat, even without an eruv.
— Try to have AT LEAST one armed person in every synagogue.
— Pepper spray? Knife? Carry it – we are ALL at life risk in this war!

➡ IF SIRENS, SHELTER EVEN IF IN AMIDAH
— If sirens are heard in the middle of the Amidah, one must go to the shelter. After, restart Amidah from the beginning (others rule to start from where you stopped).
— Can’t get to shelter, LAY DOWN, all the way, hands on head (reduces risk by 80%).
— As per Homefront Command, wait AT LEAST 5 minutes (Homefront says 10) before existing shelter or getting up.

➡ HAVE A PHONE AVAILABLE
— Every synagogue needs a PHONE ON for immediate use on Shabbat. And preferably with a red alert app in case it is hard to hear sirens.
— You may carry and keep a cell phone in your pocket. Set it to silent, and set red alert apps to “override silent mode”.
— — HIGH RISK, recommended.
— — MEDIUM and LOWER, permitted.

➡ DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL POLICE !!
— If anything is suspicious, CALL POLICE immediately! Dial 100

➡ ALL instructions of Home Front Command and your City/Council must be strictly obeyed. If instructed to shut yourself in, do not leave the house at all, not even for prayer.

➡ Those who live in HIGH RISK and MEDIUM RISK areas MUST leave their phones on to receive emergency messages from the town. Leave your phone on, and read if a message alert arrives! Pikuach Nefesh mamash!

It is a mitzvah to take actions to protect save and preserve life on Shabbat, not a violation. But ONLY actions that do so. May we all have peace and safety on Shabbat! May our soldiers be EFFECTIVE and return home safe. May our hostages be returned safe, healthy, and whole. And may Hashem avenge the blood of our martyrs.

November 17, 15:00

◼Defense Ministry publishes a video showing the launch of an Arrow missile this week, intercepting a missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen at Eilat.

◼The IDF spokesman in Arabic publishes a document from the heart of Gaza City in which IDF soldiers are seen helping the Palestinian civilian population (with white flags) to evacuate using a freight wagon.

Location: A-Netzer Street in Gaza City next to the “White Dream” bridal salon and next to the courtyard of a UNRWA school.

November 17, 16:00

◼In the depths of the Gaza Strip, the IDF paraded in the ground of the Hamas outpost:
The Golani fighters held a battle ceremony in memory of their comrades who fell during the fighting and for all those who were brutally murdered on October 7.

◼Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XINbWVlfdPM