General Assessment:
Today commemorates the 3rd week since Hamas’ horrendous attack on Israel. The IDF has intensified its counterattacks against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The IDF is exerting firepower that has never been seen before in the Gaza Strip, from the air, from the ground, or from the underground. In the airstrikes tonight, nearly a hundred fighter jets dropped hundreds of armaments and destroyed hundreds of Hamas targets. IDF ground forces have entered Gaza confronting and killing Hamas terrorists.
Last night and today, Hamas continued to demonstrate its capability to launch rockets at Israel. Rockets were launched today into the South, the Negev, and the center causing minor injuries and damage to houses.
Israel is currently in the ground maneuver stage. Despite the understanding throughout the Israeli population of the military challenges and their tolls, there is a consensus in Israel that there is no room for a ceasefire and that Hamas must be eliminated. There are voices coming from residents living in the northern towns and communities displaying fear of returning to normalcy in a way that will expose them to a similar fate as their brothers in the south.
IDF Commander General Herzi Halevi in a statement today:
“The goals of the war require ground entry – the best fighters are now operating in Gaza.”
“Three weeks have passed since the beginning of the war. This war has phases, today we are transcending a phase. Our forces are now carrying out ground activities in the Gaza Strip, this activity is accompanied by precise and heavy fire, these are intended to fulfill all the goals of the war: dismantling Hamas, border security, and a supreme effort to return all the abductees home… The enemy has many hundreds of dead, its infrastructure is destroyed… At the northern border, we are at a very high level of readiness to prevent and thwart Hezbollah’s attempts to harm Israeli citizens or IDF soldiers, as the Northern Command has been doing successfully in recent days… On October 7, three weeks ago, Hamas committed a crime against all humanity. Hamas is now holding innocent people, babies, children, women, men, and very old citizens. The return of the abductees is a supreme national effort, from all our soldiers in the Gaza Strip, we will do everything to succeed in this effort…
The Goals of the War as presented by IDF Spokesperson:
- Destroying Hamas’ apparatus – No more Hamas rule over the Gaza Strip.
- Annihilating Hamas and PIJ’s military and administrative capabilities.
- Distancing and removing all threats from the Gaza Strip.
- Deterring the enemy from escalating the northern arena: Maintaining stability in Judea & Samaria and throughout Israel.
- Bringing home, the hostages held in Gaza.
In addition to IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari’s exposés of Hamas’ use of Shifa Hospital to hide headquarters, terrorists, and weaponry, the IDF and IAS published new information about Hamas’ use of Shifa Hospital.
– So far, according to the IDF since Saturday morning Oct. 7, 1,400 Israelis were killed, among them 312 fallen soldiers. 3,900 Israelis wounded. 229 Confirmed abducted, and 100 missing. Since the beginning of hostilities, Thousands of rockets have been launched into Israel.
Operational Updates:
Northern Arena:
-During the past 24 hours, the IDF successfully targeted a considerable number of anti-tank missile launchers aimed against Israel.
Yesterday (Friday), Hezbollah terrorists attempted to launch rockets toward Israeli territory. The rockets fell in Syria. Overnight in response, an IDF fighter jet struck Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in Lebanon.
On Saturday, a number of mortars and anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanese territory toward Israeli territory and toward IDF posts near Zarit, Hanita, Shtula, and Margaliot. IDF tanks and artillery respond by firing at the sources of the fire and attacking the military infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanese territory. Concurrently the IDF thwarted a surface-to-air missile that was fired from Lebanon toward an IDF UAV.
In response, the IDF is striking the origin of the missile’s fire.
-Since yesterday, the total count of Hezbollah terrorists killed since the beginning of hostilities stands on 58 and 55 injured.
Gaza and Southern Israel:
Last night, directed by precise intelligence information from the Air Force, Intelligence branch, and ISA, the IDF eliminated the head of Hamas’s air array, Atsam Abu Rafa, targeting him with fighter jets. Abu Raffa was responsible for managing the UAV arrays, drones, aerial reconnaissance, paragliders, and the air defense of Hamas. In the extent of his role, he took part in the planning and execution of the murderous massacre in the communities surrounding Gaza on the 7th. of October. This was done by his targeting the terrorists who infiltrated on parachutes into the territory surrounding Gaza, and by directing the drone attacks towards the IDF posts.
Also, last night, at the conclusion of a joint intelligence effort by the Israeli Navy, Air Force, the Intelligence branch, and the ISA, the IDF eliminated Rateb Abu Sahiban, the commander of the Hamas naval force of the Gaza Brigade. Abu Sahiban planned and commanded the naval penetration attempt that took place on October 24 in the area of the Zikim coast by sea.
– Overnight, IDF Fighter jets attacked about 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip. During the attack, Hamas terrorists were eliminated and combat tunnels, underground combat spaces, and other underground terrorist infrastructures were destroyed.
The IDF has repeatedly urged Gaza City inhabitants to move to a safe humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip’s southwest, in the Al-Mawasi area, where international aid is supplied via the Rafah crossing. Simultaneously, Hamas terrorists attempt to impede their evacuation through persuasion or force, to exploit these civilians as “human shields.” Throughout the past days, IDF forces attacked those Hamas positions restricting the civilians from moving south. A recording of a conversation between an officer in Unit 504 of the Intelligence Division and a resident of the Gaza Strip was revealed, in which the resident of the Gaza Strip details the actions taken by Hamas to prevent residents from moving south. In the recorded conversation the Gazan explained that Hamas operatives at the roadblocks are turning the people around telling them to return to their homes.
-Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has identified hundreds of failed Hamas rocket launches that fell inside the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring Gazans. The Hamas terrorist organization uses the residents of the Gaza Strip as human shields and launches rockets from civilian infrastructure, areas, and buildings in the Gaza Strip.
Judea and Samaria:
Over the weekend, the IDF and ISA arrested terrorist suspects involved in terrorist activity throughout the Judea and Samaria Division tonight. As part of the activity, 11 wanted persons were arrested, including two Hamas operatives.
International Arena:
-The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted a significant resolution on the Gaza crisis, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, spoke at the General Assembly after the resolution calling for a ceasefire. “Israel will continue to defend itself and do whatever is necessary until Hamas is destroyed and the abductees are returned,” said Erdan. “This day will go down in history forever as a day when the UN lost completely its legitimacy and relevance. Today it was made clear that the UN is not obligated to prevent atrocities, but to encourage atrocities.”
– Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq announced that they carried out an attack against US military forces at the Tanaf base in Syria’s border triangle with Iraq and Jordan.
– The US aircraft carrier Eisenhower crossed the Straits of Gibraltar on its way east and south toward the Red Sea.
– After Turkey President Erdogan’s defiant statements against Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed its diplomats to return from Turkey for consultations.
