Minister of Defense Yoav Galant In his appearance today before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee: “Many more days of fighting are expected, at the end of which three main goals will be achieved: Hamas will cease to exist as a military and governmental structure in Gaza, there will be no security threat from Gaza to Israeli citizens, and the IDF will have full freedom of action with no restrictions on the use of force”… “Sinwar made a mistake in Gaza and sealed the fate of Hamas and the fate of Gaza. If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal the fate of Lebanon”…
General:
The situation in the north is highly tense. Hezbollah’s attack against Israel continues. This morning, IDF forces destroyed a Hezbollah terror ATMG squad that approached the border with the intention of firing on the Shtula village, followed by a UAV approaching Israeli territory from Lebanon and a volley of some 20 rockets fired into Israel in the afternoon.
In the south, during the past 24 hours, the IDF has continued its advance on Hamas terrorists overrunning headquarters and killing senior commanders, seizing armaments and invaluable intelligence material.
– So far, according to the IDF since Saturday morning Oct. 7, 1,400 Israelis were murdered and 6,900 Israelis wounded. 348 IDF soldiers killed in action. 240 confirmed abducted civilians and IDF soldiers, including a total of 35 children, 10 of whom are below the age of 5, and 18 elderly persons who are 75 years of age or older. many more are still missing. Since the beginning of hostilities, 9,000+ rockets have been launched into Israel. To date, an estimated 250,000 Israelis have been compelled to leave their homes in the communities and towns adjacent to the northern frontier and the Gaza Strip, and have since been placed in different locations across the country. Israeli IDF reservists recruited 360,000.
Operational Updates:
Northern Arena:
– Similar to yesterday, another double-digit number of launches from Lebanon, this time Hezbollah accepted responsibility for the attack (yesterday, Hamas-Lebanon took responsibility).
At 11:30 terrorists tried to launch an anti-tank missile from Lebanon towards Shtula. An IDF tank thwarted the attempt.
At 14:00 it was reported that a Hezbollah UAV was intercepted by IDF Aerial Defenses, before entering Israeli territory.
In the area of the village of Aramshe, Hezbollah terrorists fired at an IDF outpost, there were no casualties in the incident. The IDF responded with artillery fire at the source of the fire.
At half past four, alarms were sounded in the Golan Heights and the Galilee due to a barrage of 20 rockets from Lebanese territory toward Israel. The IDF attacked with artillery fire in Lebanese territory in response. Hezbollah later took responsibility for the incident.
Gaza and Southern Israel:
It should be emphasized that the IDF’s ground operations at this time are focused on the northern area of the Gaza Strip.
– Division 36’s Combat Team located a number of Hamas terrorists, who had barricaded themselves in a building near Al-Quds Hospital and from where they were planning to launch an attack against IDF forces. The fighters directed an aircraft to attack the terrorists. The attack led to significant secondary explosions that testified to the presence of a weapons depot of the terrorist organization Hamas in a civilian environment.
– Reservists from the 551st Brigade’s Negev Brigade and troops from the Yahalom Unit discovered several tunnels inside a residence in a civilian neighborhood in the Beit Hanoun area. The tunnels were destroyed by soldiers from the Yahalom Unit working with reservists and soldiers from the Oketz Unit.
-Furthermore, an IDF fighter jet attacked a squad of about 10 terrorists in teamwork with fighters of the Nahal’s brigade Combat Team who identified the squad and directed the attack. Subsequently, the fighters identified an anti-tank squad that was operating near them and directed another aircraft to attack the squad.
-IDF soldiers from the 7th Brigade Combat Team took control of a Hamas military stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip. Anti-tank launchers and missiles, various weapons, and invaluable intelligence materials were seized in the outpost.
-As part of the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the Combat Team of the paratrooper brigade led a targeted operation in the north of the Gaza Strip, during which the takeover of the area in the north of the Gaza Strip was completed. During the operation, the
Another paratroopers team operating with forces of the 7th Armored Brigade found a separate tunnel next to a university containing chemical substances, clutches, RPGs, explosive charges, and more. Both tunnels were destroyed by the soldiers on the ground.
Furthermore, IDF soldiers killed several more Hamas unit commanders in ground confrontations.
– In accordance with international law, 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 are attempting to impede their evacuation through persuasion or force, to exploit these civilians as “human shields.”
Once again today, IDF Spokesman in Arabic, Lt. Col. Avihai Adrei, appealed to the residents of the Gaza Strip urging them to evacuate to the south and take advantage of the opportunity to move south across the Gaza Wadi. The IDF once again will allow traffic on the Salah al-Din route between 10:00-14:00.
IDF tanks secured Palestinians trying to cross from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip. The forces are in place intending to prevent Hamas terrorists from harming the civilian Gazans.
In the following footage, Gazans can be seen passing through the evacuation route from northern Gaza to southern Gaza carrying white flags.
-Hamas continues to demonstrate its capabilities to launch missiles into Israel. Today, rockets were launched from Gaza toward the south of Israel.
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. The IDF emphasizes that all equipment is checked before entering the Strip.
– Today 70 trucks of food, water, and medicine or medical supplies entered via Rafah crossing. The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Aid reports that so far 569 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the commencement of the war. None of them carry fuel. Furthermore, Israel has opened two water pipelines to the south of the Gaza Strip, supplying about 28 million liters of drinkable water each day. Palestinian sources stated that trucks carrying tents – were seen in the Rafah crossing area. These are expected to enter the Gaza Strip and be used to set up the tent cities – for the Gazans evacuating to the south.
In Israel, there are voices of protest against the insertion of any humanitarian aid into Gaza, while Israel does not receive any humanitarian aid or information in return regarding the abductees and hostages held by Hamas. 32 days have passed with no word regarding the hostages. Babies, women, senior citizens, and men, all kidnapped to Gaza on Oct. 7 – Nothing has been done by the international community, the U.N., despite repeated petitions to the International Red Cross.
-In Tulkarem and Jenin, last night and this morning, IDF engineering forces revealed IEDs that were hidden under civilian infrastructures. Israeli security sources stated: “Recently, the terrorist organizations, led by Hamas, continue to plant many explosive devices under roads and civilian infrastructure throughout Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria. We will continue to work to expose and neutralize those devices, which endanger our forces and our freedom of action in the region. Beyond that, this is the use of civilian infrastructures, which literally endangers thousands of residents and children throughout Judea and Samaria every day.”
-Since the beginning of the war, over 1,350 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Amakim Division, more than 870 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.
Lebanon:
– American envoy Amos Hochstein, who brokered the Israeli–Lebanese maritime border treaty in 2022, is scheduled to arrive in Beirut today. Hochstein seeks to act in light of the escalation taking place in south Lebanon in an attempt to calm the situation and prevent an outbreak on the southern Lebanese front. In his remarks Hochstein mentioned UN resolution 1701, the resolution that calls, among other things, for… “the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks” and that weapons should not be allowed to enter the area without the consent of the Lebanese government.
Iran:
Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah, Naim Kassem: “Hezbollah participates in battles to reduce the pressure on Gaza. Our increasing attacks are a message that if Israel expands its aggression, there will be serious consequences, and if it and the US continue the aggression, it will lead to an all-out campaign. Qassem’s comments come just days after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that all options on the Lebanese front were open and the group was “ready for all possibilities.”
International Arena:
-Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder announced the number of attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, from 30 to 38 in total with the number of service members wounded rising to 46 since the start of attacks on US forces on October 17th.
