Photo above: The IDF has breached the blast door to the underground Hamas tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital, with more proof of Hamas using hospitals for terrorist operations to be expected.
The Israeli government is due to convene tonight to approve a hostage agreement.
General:
In the north, Hezbollah’s war of attrition against Israel has significantly increased. In its actions, Hezbollah is attempting to channel IDF resources from the war in Gaza to the northern arena, while attacking civilian communities, IDF bases and outposts in northern Israel. In its frequent attacks on Israel, Hezbollah is using rockets, mortar shells, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In the south the IDF is continuing its offense against Hamas and PIJ terrorists in Gaza, causing critical losses to the terror organizations. The operation at Shifa Hospital is still in progress. Last night, Division 162 completed the encirclement of Jabaliya. IDF forces are concentrating their assault efforts against the Jabalia and Zaytun Battalions.
Hamas still has the ability to launch missiles into Israel. Hamas terrorists continue to indiscriminately launch rockets at civilian communities enveloping the Gaza Strip and as far as cities in the Tel Aviv area.
Though it seems that its rocket-launching capabilities have declined. Today, Hamas launched several rockets at the communities enveloping the Gaza Strip and in the evening toward the cities in central Israel.
Since the commencement of the war, from more than 10,000 missiles and rockets fired at Israel with the intention of hitting population centers and civilians, over 1,000 fell in the Gaza Strip itself – hitting, among other things, Gaza hospitals and schools.
Since Saturday morning Oct. 7, 1,225 Israeli civilians have been murdered.
-390 IDF soldiers were killed in action.
-More than 8,822 Israelis wounded have been evacuated to the hospitals so far.
-236 confirmed abducted civilians and IDF soldiers.
-Among the murdered are 33 minors and 25 aged 80 and over.
-35 of the abductees are children and teenagers – of which 10 are under the age of 5.
-18 of the abductees are elderly people aged 75 and older.
-288 of the murdered and 15 of the missing have foreign citizenship (including dual).
-121 of the abductees have foreign citizenship (including dual citizenship).
-Since the beginning of hostilities over 10,000 rockets have been launched into Israel.
– To date, an estimated 126,000 Israelis have been officially required by a government directive to leave their homes in the communities and towns adjacent to the northern border and the Gaza Strip (97 communities in the north and south), and have since been placed in various locations across the country (70 thousand evacuees in the south, approximately 60 thousand in the north). Many more people evacuated their homes on their own initiative from communities not covered by the government’s plan, (bringing the unofficial total to 256,000 evacuees).
-360,000 Israeli IDF reservists have been recruited.
– Efforts to identify the victims continue the police update: 860 civilians murdered in the war have been identified so far.
Operational Updates:
Northern Arena:
– Since the commencement of the conflict, Hezbollah has sustained a total of 78 casualties.
This morning, Hezbollah launched three anti-tank missiles from Lebanese territory toward the vicinity of Metula in northern Israel. There were no reported injuries. In response, the IDF attacked the area of Kfar Halta, Kfar Shuba, Ita a-Sha’ab, and Ramish, in southern Lebanon. Later, the IDF attacked three anti-tank squads in the Lebanese border area and several terrorist targets of Hezbollah, including military and terrorist targeting infrastructures. In addition, terrorists fired a mortar bomb at an IDF outpost, there were no casualties. IDF forces returned fire.
According to Arab reports, during the IDF attack in southern Lebanon, IDF artillery fire damaged a center belonging to the Lebanese army in Wazzani, and a journalist and photographer from Al Mayadeen news outlet were killed due to shelling toward Tir Harfa. Hezbollah has threatened to act in response to the death of the journalists.
Khalil Kharaz, the deputy commander of Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades, Lebanon wing, was killed while driving between launching locations in his Cherokee jeep near Palestinian refugee camps in the Tyre region. Alongside him in his vehicle were three terrorists belonging to Al-Qassam.
Around noon, sirens sound out in Baram due to mortar fire from Lebanon. Later on, two ATGMs were fired from Lebanon towards the Manara area. In both instances, the IDF responded with artillery fire mortars, and tanks. Hezbollah accepted responsibility for firing two ATGMs at Manara and claimed that it was a response to the “killing of the journalists of the Al Mayadeen news outlet “.
Subsequently, two ATGMs were fired at the Avivim area, with no casualties. As a result of the launches, roads were blocked in the border area between Masgav and Avivim. Sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona and in the surrounding communities, due to rocket fire.
This evening, sirens sounded in the north due to hostile aircraft infiltration in Western Galilee. Interceptors were launched toward the suspicious aerial targets crossing from Lebanon into Western Galilee.
The area between the Christian village of Rmeich and the border with Israel is an important military zone for Hezbollah. Before October 2023, Hezbollah operated there under the cover of the “Green Without Borders” organization. In December 2022, Hezbollah carried out earthworks at this site which created great tensions and friction with the Christian villagers. In the offensive aspect, the area is a potential staging area for the infiltration of Hezbollah (Radwan) forces into Israeli territory. In the defensive aspect, this is a line of contact with IDF forces. It is possible that the Burkan rockets that were launched yesterday (Nov 20) at Biranit, were launched from this military area.
Gaza and Southern Israel:
– As part of the IDF’s activities in the Gaza Strip, IDF aircraft attacked about 250 targets of the terrorist organization Hamas on the last day. Among the targets are dozens of terrorists, missile launchers, and various terrorist infrastructures. During the night, the Fire Support Team of the Gaza Division directed a combat helicopter that destroyed a rocket launching position, which launched rockets into the Center of Israel area yesterday. The position was placed near a residential area of a civilian population.
– As part of ongoing IDF ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the 162nd Division worked alongside the IAF to prepare the battlefield in the Jabalia area. Fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) assisted in the attacks on terror targets. The division struck three subterranean terror tunnel shafts in the Jabalia area where terrorists were hiding during the battle.
– The 401st Brigade attacked terrorists in northern Gaza, killing terrorists and directing jets to attack from the air. Furthermore, the soldiers discovered and destroyed missile launchers.
– Additionally, combat squads from the 551st Brigade coordinated with special forces to eliminate terror targets in the area and create a passage for divisional forces, as well as neutralize terrorist targets in the area. During the operation, forces used air assistance to eliminate dozens of terrorists, capture enemy weaponry in a variety of locations, including private homes and children’s beds, and find and destroy subterranean terror tunnel shafts.
Human Sheild Tactics-
Hamas Tactics – Hospitals as Operational Hubs:
As part of their strategy, Hamas uses hospitals to launch attacks against Israel. Here are only a few of the hospitals that Hamas has used since the beginning of the war
Combat team soldiers of the Harel Brigade located a cache of weapons in the home of a Nukhba terrorist in the Gaza Strip, and a combat team of the 14th Brigade located an anti-tank missile hidden under a baby bed.
Many of Hamas’s military facilities are located within or near UN facilities, mosques, schools and other protected sites. Specifically, Hamas places key military sites and its main headquarters inside and under hospitals in order to take advantage of the protection afforded to these facilities in combat situations – thus it violates this protection.
Humanitarian aid:
It should be noted that under the Rules of War, Israel is under no obligation to supply for the needs of its enemy, Hamas.
-Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip remains open for the flow of humanitarian aid carrying, medicine, medical equipment, and food. Israel has agreed to allow 100 trucks a day. The IDF emphasizes that all equipment is checked before entering the Strip.
-According to the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), 964 aid trucks comprising food, water, and medicine or medical supplies had entered via Rafah since October 21, when Israel first began allowing the tightly controlled shipments. Furthermore, Israel has opened two water pipelines to the south of the Gaza Strip, supplying about 28 million liters of drinkable water each day.
– IDF troops are continuing their precise and focused operation against Hamas at the Shifa Hospital complex. This morning, IDF forces, through the Directorate of Coordination and Liaison to Gaza (CLA-COGAT), delivered food rations including fish, canned goods, bread, spreads, and dates to the Hospital.
–Fuel into Gaza: Hamas requires diesel fuel to power its terror tunnels’ ventilation and electrical systems, it’s for this reason Israel refuses to supply Gaza with fuel. Nevertheless, in response to a request from the US administration, Israel has agreed to permit the entry of two fuel trucks per day into the southern Gaza Strip. This constitutes a supply of fuel necessary to operate water and sewage pumps as well as for trucks carrying humanitarian aid.
Examples of medical responses for the people of Gaza:
-Jordanian field hospital in southern Gaza.
-UAE field hospital underway.
-Premature babies transferred to Egypt, with Israeli incubators, for further care.
-Dozens of sick and wounded Gazans exited Gaza for treatment in Egypt, UAE, and Turkey.
– Humanitarian corridor: The IDF continues to urge 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. Hamas terrorists have attempted to impede their evacuation through persuasion or force, to exploit these civilians as “human shields.”
– The IDF Spokesman in Arabic, Lt. Col. Avihai Adrei once again addressed the residents of Jabalia, Darj a-Tafah, and Shaja’ia, and announced that the Salah al-Din Road is still open today until 16:00 for the passage of residents to the south of Wadi Gaza and the humanitarian area. In addition, he announced a pause in the fighting between 10:00 and 14:00 in the Tel-e-Saltan neighborhood in western Rafah, for humanitarian purposes.
Since the opening of the humanitarian corridor leading from the north Gaza Strip to the humanitarian zone in the Al-Mawasi area, more than 361,500 Gazans evacuated for their safety.
There are persistent voices in Israel, civilians and members of cabinet, protesting the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite the fact that Israel receives neither humanitarian help or information about the abductees and hostages held by Hamas. Despite repeated requests to the Red Cross, which claims to have no power over Hamas, nothing has been done.
Judea and Samaria:
– During the night, the security forces operated in the Judea and Samaria and the Amakim and arrested 26 wanted persons, seven of whom are affiliated with Hamas. In addition, reserve forces also operated in an operation to thwart popular terrorism in the village of Burka in the Binyamin Brigade. As part of the operation, the forces arrested a number of wanted persons active in Hamas. In addition, in an operation to arrest wanted suspects in Kabatia in the Menasha Brigade directed by the ISA, six wanted persons were arrested, including those suspected of shooting at IDF forces and of being active in Hamas. The wanted persons who were arrested were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to our forces.
-Since the beginning of the war, more than 1,850 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Amakim Division, about 1,100 of whom are affiliated with Hamas.
