Daily Recap: Hamas - Israel War October 31st, 2023 - Day 25

Additional information and thoughts from Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, the IDF’s International Spokesperson, is available in his Substack newsletter here.

Key Links

• Morning press briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari ( Hebrew, English subtitles )
• Footage of the targeting of the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas' Northern Brigade, Nasim Abu Ajina ( Video )
• IDF video with Hamas’ responses to allegations of war crimes ( Twitter )
• Broad force briefing from the Commanding Officer of of the Southern Command ( Hebrew, English subtitles )

“Southern Command forces, this is the Commander. We are striking Hamas and the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. We have one goal - victory. No matter how long or how hard the fighting will be, there is no other outcome than victory. We will fight with professionalism and strength, based first and foremost on the IDF values which were instilled in us - Dedication to Mission and the Pursuit of Victory. We will fight in alleys, we will fight in tunnels, we will fight wherever necessary. We will eliminate the abominable enemy before whom we stand. My brothers in arms, the residents of Be'eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza, and the West Negev Communities and alongside them are all the people of Israel, they are all looking at us now. Like me, they trust you and believe in you, you are the generation of victory. This is the Commander, complete your mission, strike the enemy, over and out.”

Arena Overview

Southern Israel

Overnight, as part of the IDF’s efforts to eliminate Hamas, IDF soldiers intensified the ground operations in the Gaza Strip, targeting over 300 sites, including anti-tank missile and rocket launch sites, observation posts, and other underground infrastructure. During the ground operations , soldiers engaged with terrorist units on the ground. They were also supported by the IAF, which conducted real time strikes to neutralize the terrorists and affiliated infrastructure. IDF forces operated within Jabaliya, neutralizing some 50 terrorists.

As part of the effort to target senior and tactical Hamas leadership, IDF fighter jets targeted the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas' Northern Brigade, Nasim Abu Ajina, who directed the massacre on October 7th in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara. In another strike, on Tuesday the IDF killed Ibrahim Biari, the Commander of Hamas’ Central Jabaliya Battalion, who was responsible for deploying terrorists in the October 7th attack, and other terrorists with him. Biara had also been running terrorist military activities in the northern Gaza strip since the beginning of the war. Subterranean Hamas infrastructure collapsed from the strike, amplifying the damage.

Northern Arena

Hezbollah attacks on Israeli positions continued on Tuesday, including anti-tank missiles fired at military posts, rockets fired, and mortar shells that fell in open areas in Tel Ahi. The IDF responded towards the sources of fire. Overnight, in response to the ongoing attacks, IDF fighter jets carried out strikes in Lebanon and destroyed infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel: “Our policy is clear: we will strike in response to any attempted attack, and we will eliminate any terrorist cell that tries to infiltrate or shoot toward Israeli territory.”

Over the past few weeks, thousands of Lebanese civilians have been evacuating southern Lebanon, at their own initiative. 

Additional Arenas

Yesterday the IDF announced that PVT Ori Megidish had been rescued by the IDF in an overnight ground operation after being taken hostage in the barbarous attack by Hamas. 240 babies, children, women and men remain in captivity. 

Earlier today a surface-to-surface missile was fired toward Israeli territory from the area of the Red Sea and was successfully intercepted by the “Arrow” Aerial Defense System. Fighter jets were also scrambled to intercept a threat in the area. No infiltrations were identified into Israeli territory.

Rockets have been launched throughout the day towards communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. During the course of the day, rockets were also fired towards central and northern Israel.

To date, the families of 317 fallen soldiers have been notified that their loved ones fell in battle. In addition, families of 240 hostages have been notified as well. This number continues to climb due to the complex identification process, particularly for non-Israeli residents.