December 12, 2024 - October 7 War, Day 433 

• Earlier today, a 12-year-old Israeli boy, Yehoshua Aharon Tuvia z"l, who was sitting next to his sister,was shot and killed by a terrorist near the Gush Etzion Tunnels Road. The terrorist opened fire on a bus, killing Yehoshua , and wounding three others. A fewhours later, the killer turned himself in to security authorities.
• On Monday, seven soldiers fell in two separate events, one that took place in Gaza and the otherone in Lebanon. In the Lebanese incident, four soldiers were killed by explosives when they entered a tunnel built by Hezbollah.

• According to multiple reports, a deal resulting in a ceasefire as well as a hostage release may be moving closer.
• Commentators point out that a number of factors may help push Hamas towards agreeing to a deal, including:
• Hamas’s main backer, Iran, has been significantly weakened militarily and on the internationalstage by recent events, including the fall of the Syrian regime.
• Hamas has been decimated by 14 months of war against Israel, with significant proportions of its leadership, infrastructure, and fighters destroyed.
• Hamas is fearful of what the incoming Administration in Washington may do. President-Elect Donald Trump has warned that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not released before he assumes office. Last week he added, “Those responsible (for taking the hostages) will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America.”