Gallant: War may take years, Israel targeted on 7 fronts * Hezbollah hits church * Iran vows revenge for IRGC officer * Gaza diseases: New fears * Hostage families boo PM

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Tuesday, December 26, 2023 [Gallant warns war could take years; says Israel targeted on 7 fronts, has hit back on 6]( By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff IDF bombards Hamas in southern Gaza as ground campaign set to widen; more fighting in north despite though army says it has operational control; 2 soldiers killed, toll at 158 [IDF seizes makeshift rockets, firearms in raid near West Bank’s Tulkarem]( By Emanuel Fabian [Troops find car belonging to hostage, armed Hamas truck in northern Gaza hospital]( By Emanuel Fabian Live updates [LIVE: Hezbollah hits church, blast heard in Sinai, rockets found in West Bank amid ‘7-front war’]( By ToI Staff Gallant says Israel striking back in 6 theaters * 2 soldiers killed as army death toll in Gaza reaches 158 * Soldier succumbs to injuries from Hezbollah rocket attack Sunday [Iran vows revenge after senior IRGC officer slain in alleged Israeli strike in Syria]( By Emanuel Fabian Brig. Gen. Razi Mousavi said responsible for coordinating military alliance between Iran and Syria, arming Iranian-backed militias including Hezbollah [IDF hits Hezbollah targets as terror group fires rockets, missiles at Israel]( By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff [Israel’s Cyber Directorate warns of phishing attack by Iran-based hacking squad]( By ToI Staff Inside story [As soldier with fungal infection dies, fears grow of Gaza diseases spreading into Israel]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Cause of soldier’s death not yet confirmed; civilian medical experts warn of cases of potentially deadly fungal infections, other serious afflictions among soldiers [Wounded IDF soldier dies after infection by fungus during Gaza ground op – reports]( By ToI Staff [PM: For peace, Hamas must be crushed, Gaza demilitarized, Palestinians deradicalized]( By ToI Staff Netanyahu outlines 3 prerequisites in WSJ op-ed, makes no mention of hostages or two-state solution, repeats opposition to Palestinian Authority role in ruling post-war Gaza [PM said to bar Gallant from holding 1-on-1 discussions with Mossad head on hostages]( By ToI Staff [Report: Hamas, PIJ reject Egyptian plan to cede power in Gaza in return for ceasefire]( By ToI Staff [‘You will forever remain 30’: Soldier Nitai Meisels, killed in Gaza, laid to rest]( By ToI Staff At ceremony attended by hundreds, family say reservist soldier didn’t tell them he was involved in the fighting to keep them from worrying about his safety [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec 26: Day 81 – Netanyahu and Sinwar both vow to see other crushed]( By ToI Staff Top Ops Aliya Herman [The hidden cost of war: Israel’s deadly mental health crisis]( The risk of suicide is higher since the atrocities of Oct. 7, along with feelings of helplessness and despair Dan Sagir [The dangerous quest for a ‘victory shot’]( After the Oct. 7 defeat, an iconic military finale can be tempting. Israeli history shows how very wrong that plan can go Avi Rockoff [Russians know antisemitism when they see it]( Jew hatred had marched right in front of me, but I decided not to see it, or perhaps more correctly, I chose to overlook it Jonah Naghi [New hope for a shared Arab-Jewish future]( Cooperation and shared grief are uniting populations with a history of conflict and mutual suspicion [Day 81 – Netanyahu and Sinwar both vow to see other crushed]( [listen to the podcast]( [Lapid: If October 7 had happened on my watch, I would have resigned that same day]( By ToI Staff Opposition leader asserts neither the security establishment nor the public has a ‘drop of trust’ in the PM, says he must be replaced, even with the war on Hamas still underway [PM booed by hostages’ families at Knesset as he pledges not to ease pressure on Hamas]( By Sam Sokol ‘We don’t have time,’ relatives of Israelis held in Gaza shout at Netanyahu after he declares that only ‘military pressure’ will bring them home [Mother of hostage killed by troops: ‘I wasn’t angry at the IDF for even a minute’]( By Amy Spiro Iris Haim, whose son Yotam was accidentally slain by soldiers as he tried to escape captivity, says when she heard brigade morale was low, she sent a message to boost spirits [Freed 12-year-old hostage says captors told him Israel had been destroyed]( By ToI Staff Inside story [Kibbutz within a kibbutz: Nahal Oz evacuees find long-term haven at Mishmar Ha’emek]( By Canaan Lidor With shared values and a similar lifestyle, the traumatized Gaza border community is creating a new temporary normal at a northern paragon of Zionist socialism [Maersk says will resume Red Sea shipping as US-led coalition counters Houthi attacks]( By AP and ToI Staff Shipper announces move after being assured multi-national Operation Prosperity Guardian has deployed to protect maritime commerce passing through Gulf of Aden to Suez Canal [At Knesset, reservist decries lack of aid as businesses fail while they fight in Gaza]( By Sam Sokol ‘My situation is a catastrophe. The refrigerator is empty,’ Lior Moshayev tells Knesset Finance Committee. ‘We left everything to go and fight’ [Knesset panel puts off vote on extending age for end of IDF reserve service]( By Sam Sokol [Witnesses report 2 explosions off Sinai coast, ‘strange object falling into water’]( By AFP and ToI Staff No casualties or damage reported in blasts off coast of Dahab, 125 kilometers south of Eilat [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7]( [Read Here]( [Officials order further investigation as residents of town near West Bank hear digging]( By ToI Staff Man from Bat Hefer, located opposite West Bank city of Tulkarem, records noises he heard under home; local council plans 2 more checks after 3 previous ones found nothing [Illegal West Bank outpost demolished, the second in 48 hours]( By Jeremy Sharon [Finance Ministry says ban on Palestinian workers could cost economy billions]( By Sam Sokol [A Chilean-Jewish artist strives to capture the entire Torah in massive murals]( By Jacob Kessler Mauricio Avayu, whose work has hung in homes of former presidents and been presented to Pope Francis, sets himself apart by striving for accuracy, even consulting rabbinical texts [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( [Stephen Fry decries antisemitism in Christmas video, is pilloried online]( By Michael Horovitz British Jewish actor urges UK citizens to speak out against Jew hatred; wave of commentators accuse him of playing ‘victim’ while not caring about Palestinians in Gaza [UK police probing possible arson at office of pro-Israel MP]( By ToI Staff [IDF intel unit’s calls with Gazans reveal cracks of dissent against Hamas rule]( By ToI Staff With over 50,000 calls to Palestinians in Strip, Unit 504 helped urge many to evacuate south, while also securing intel on Hamas — sometimes from Hamas men themselves More Headlines [Intel clinches $3.2b government grant for $25b chip plant expansion in southern Israel]( By Sharon Wrobel [Kanye West deletes all Instagram posts, leaves Hebrew-language apology to Jews]( By ToI Staff [The things they found / Troops mustering near Gaza border turn up tiny Byzantine-era lamp]( By Gavriel Fiske [US strikes sites used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq]( By Agencies [Battle lines / Artists illustrate reactions to Oct. 7 at Jerusalem’s Outline Festival]( By Jessica Steinberg [Kremlin critic Navalny found in Siberian jail after being missing for 3 weeks]( By Agencies and ToI Staff [The daily edition]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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