IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi to his soldiers in Gaza: “You should know that your work in the ground maneuver also creates better conditions for bringing back the hostages.”
Hostage release deal approved by Israel’s Cabinet:
Israeli government decision number 1107 from today: “Subject to the fact that 50 Israeli abductees will be handed over to the security forces of the State of Israel, 150 security prisoners will be released from (Israeli) prison, this is in four pulses, where each pulse will include the release of at least 10 Israeli abductees. This phase will last 4 days during which there will be a pause in the fighting.”
The decision also empowered the Prime Minister, the Sec. Def. and Minister Gantz; “that it is their prerogative to decide on the completion of the outline for the release of Israeli hostages, in accordance with this decision, no later than 10 days from the date of the end of the first pulse.”
The release is scheduled to take effect tomorrow (Thursday) morning.
An official announcement by the Israeli government reads: “The first step to achieving the goal of returning all the abductees home has been approved. The Israeli government, the IDF, and the security forces will continue the war to return all the abductees, complete the elimination of Hamas, and ensure that Gaza does not renew any threat to the State of Israel.”
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: 861 civilians murdered in the war have been identified so far.
-47 days since the horrific Hamas attack on innocent Israelis, the body of Shani Gabai, who was considered missing since the massacre at the party in Re’im, has been identified.
Northern arena:
Hezbollah’s war of attrition against Israel has intensified considerably in the northern region. Hezbollah seeks to redirect Israeli Defense Force (IDF) resources from the Gaza conflict to the northern arena through its assaults on IDF outposts, civilian communities, and bases in northern Israel. Hezbollah utilizes a variety of weaponry during its frequent assaults on Israel, including mortar projectiles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), rockets, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
– Since the commencement of the conflict, Hezbollah has sustained a total of 80 casualties.
-Last night sirens were activated due to the intrusion of a hostile aircraft in the Hanita area, the air defense fighters successfully intercepted a suspicious target.
Today, Hezbollah accepted responsibility for numerous attacks against Israel. On multiple occasions throughout the day, sirens were sounded in the settlements of Netua, Zarit, Adamit, Yaftach, and Hanita in western Galilee as rocket launches were detected. The rockets and mortar shells all landed in open areas. In all instances, no casualties were reported.
The IDF attacked multiple Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon throughout the course of the day, retaliating with artillery, tanks, and air strikes in response to the numerous Hezbollah attacks against Israeli territory.
Among the targets the IDF attacked, were terrorist infrastructures and military sites where the organization’s terrorists were operating. The IDF attacked in Kafr Kila and a-Levona in Southern Lebanon.
IDF Spokesman: For the second time in the last day, fighter jets of the Air Force completed another attack on Lebanese territory; a series of terrorist targets where Hezbollah terrorists were operating were destroyed. In addition, aircraft combined with artillery fire attacked a squad that was firing from Lebanon into Israeli territory near the Hanita area and was also attacked A military building from which shooting was carried out into an underground space, where IDF forces were operating earlier today.
-This morning in Beirut, Nasrallah met with senior Hamas officials, Khalil al-Hayya and Osama Hamdan. Osama Hamdan, formerly served as head of Hamas in Lebanon and currently serves as a member of Hamas’s political staff. Also holds the title of “Head of the Arab and Islamic Relations Bureau” in Hamas (“Foreign Affairs”). Has ties to Iran since the 1990s, when he served as a Hamas representative there. In 1998 he was appointed head of Hamas in Lebanon. It has been stated in the past that “Hezbollah-Hamas relations are long-standing strategic relations and are not affected by small differences of opinion…”
Khalil Kharaz, the deputy commander of Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades, Lebanon wing, who was killed yesterday south of Tyre, was already apprehended in 2014 by Lebanese security forces on suspicion of firing rockets against Israel. Abu Khaled is thought to have been directly responsible for firing Hamas rockets toward Israel from Lebanon in April 2023 and in recent weeks.
Gaza and southern arena:
In the south, IDF forces continue to operate in the Gaza Strip to destroy terrorist infrastructures, eliminate terrorists, and locate weapons. In the last day, the combat team soldiers of the 7th Brigade directed a number of aircraft strikes on infrastructures in which terrorists attacked, and a number of terrorists were killed. Combat team forces from the Givati Brigade carried out targeted foot raids in the Sheikh Zayed neighborhood in the northwest of Jabaliya. During the raids, Hamas lookouts in the area were identified and destroyed.
IDF soldiers from the 14th Brigade raided the area of Beit Hanon. During the raid, the soldiers located numerous weapons in one of the houses, including AK-47s, axes, and rifle magazines. IDF fighters from the 202nd Battalion fought a battle with a terrorist squad, during which they eliminated a number of them.
Furthermore, today, as part of the assistance to the ground forces, naval forces attacked several Hamas military targets. Among the targets, was a civilian building from which sniper fire was directed at our forces as well as Hamas terrorist infrastructures along the coastline.
The Combat Engineering Corps’ Yahalom special forces unit has played a vital role in finding and destroying underground shafts using various techniques. So far, the forces have uncovered and destroyed about 400 terror tunnel shafts.
The soldiers of the combat team of the Givati Brigade raided the headquarters of the northern brigade of the terrorist organization Hamas, which is located in the Sheikh Zayed area in the north of the Gaza Strip.
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.
However, it seems that its rocket-launching capabilities have declined. Today, Hamas launched several rockets to the communities enveloping the Gaza Strip.
In the afternoon the IAF intercepted a cruise missile, originating from Yemen, aimed at the southern city of Eilat. The missile did not penetrate the territory of 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.
Human Sheild Tactics-
Hamas Tactics – Hospitals as Operational Hubs:
As part of their strategy, Hamas uses hospitals to launch attacks against Israel. IDF troops are continuing their precise and focused operation against Hamas at the Shifa Hospital complex. Yesterday IDF spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari exposed new evidence proving Hamas’ appalling use of Shifa Hospital as a military compound.
-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.
-According to the Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), more than 964 aid trucks comprising food, water, and medicine or medical supplies have 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.
–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.
– 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, addressed the residents of Jabalia and Shuja’iyya today as well and announced that the Salah al-Din Road is open today until 16:00 for the passage of residents to the southern Wadi Gaza and the humanitarian area. In addition, he announced a pause in the fighting between 10:00 and 14:00 in several neighborhoods in Khan Yunis, for humanitarian purposes.
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 nor 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:
– IDF and Special Forces units operated last night in Tulkarem. During the activity, there were exchanges of fire between the forces and the terrorists. An IDF aircraft attacked terrorists from the air who fired at IDF soldiers and several key terrorist operatives were killed. In addition, several wanted persons were arrested, and planted IEDs were exposed and destroyed. The Palestinian Ministry of Health claimed that 6 terrorists were killed in an IDF operation in this operation.
Lebanon:
– A source in Hezbollah told Al Jazeera: “Hezbollah will be committed to the ceasefire announced if Israel does. Any Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon or Gaza during the ceasefire – will be met with Hezbollah’s response, we were not part of the ceasefire negotiations and the release of the abductees and prisoners that took place between Israel and Hamas.”
– The Foreign Minister of Iran landing in Beirut on Lebanon’s Independence Day (Nov 22) for the delegation to lecture their proxy state is pure irony.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and deputy leader of Hamas in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya, as well as senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, also met in Beirut to discuss continuing cooperation and coordination. The deputy leader of Hamas in Gaza also had a meeting with the leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalah.
Syria:
– A radio station associated with the Assad regime reports: the air defense systems were activated due to an attack in the Damascus area. The air attack was attributed to Israel. A local Syrian source claimed that the target that was bombed is the “Al-Rocha Hotel” which was established in the Sayyidah Zaynab district by Iranian investors. Another source added that the hotel was used for hosting and meetings of commanders of pro-Iranian militias and functionaries from Hezbollah.
Following the air strike, Abu Fadl al-Abbas Militia operatives were tasked with closing the roads leading to the hotel, located east of Route 110, the Damascus-Sweida Road.
Yemen:
-The Houthis fired a ballistic missile at the city of Eilat, which was intercepted by IDF air defense.
– The commander of the Houthis’ naval forces: “We will continue to carry out military operations against Israeli ships – until the aggression in Gaza stops. We ask ships in the Red Sea not to sail near Israeli ships and all companies – to refrain from trading with them. We warn that any military weapon that protects Israeli ships – will be for us legitimate purpose”
International Arena:
-US Central Command: “On the morning of November 22 in Iraq, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq. The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the one in Iraq on November 21, which involved the use of close-range ballistic missiles.” There are reports by the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, such as Kataib Hezbollah, that at least 5 militiamen have been killed in the first US airstrike in Iraq since 2020.
– US President Biden: welcomes the deal for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas in the brutal attack against Israel on October 7. According to him, the deal should also lead to the release of American hostages.
– The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomes the hostage arrangement stating that Children and women should not be abducted, she calls for the immediate release of the rest of the abductees.”
