The IDF on Thursday morning cleared for publication the names of three fallen soldiers whose families have been notified:
- Sergeant first class (res.) Asaf Pinhas Tubul, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin, fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
- Captain Neriya Zisk, 24, from Masu'ot Itzhak, fell in battle in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
- Major Dvir David Fima, 32, from Kfar Yona, fell in battle in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Political-Security Cabinet authorized the War Cabinet to decide whether and when to move from phase B to phase C - which is in essence a transition from a powerful operation to a more surgical operation.
This action will include the entry and exit of significant forces into the Strip who would not remain in the area for a lengthy time period and have to invest a lot of effort in defending themselves. Diplomatic officials estimated that the second phase will end before the end of January.
The position of ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot is that Israel should strive to finish the second phase and move on to the third phase, as the previous phase has exhausted itself.
At the same time, Israel is waiting for an announcement from the Qatari mediators about Hamas' response to the Israeli proposal for a hostage deal.
According to a report by Raviv Drucker on Channel 13 News, Israel and the US updated the proposal to Hamas and it includes three stages: In the first stage - the release of 40 hostages in exchange for a respite of one week to 10 days, and the release of terrorists according to a key of three prisoners for each released hostage. At this stage, Israel will withdraw from populated areas, stop its aerial activity and allow the movement of Gazan citizens from the south to the north of the Strip.
In the second phase, soldiers and bodies of soldiers will be released, and the IDF will withdraw even further, to lines that will be decided in negotiations between the parties. In the third phase, negotiations will take place in order to end the war. Hamas will give up control of the Strip and hand it over to a government of experts (technocrats), and release soldiers.