IDF Daily Recap: October 12th, 2023 (16:00)

(View live feed of events here)

Overview

• Following Hamas’ barbaric invasion on Saturday, the IDF continued land, aerial and naval attacks on terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip, reaching over 2,600 targets. 
• Sites affiliated with the Hamas Nukba commando force, as well as senior Hamas leaders, were a focus of these strikes yesterday and last night 
• Defense of the Israeli homefront remains paramount. Yesterday Israeli forces neutralized terrorists in a number of incidents in southern Israel. At least two new infiltration attempts were thwarted by IDF forces.
• The repair of breaches in the security fence is nearly completed. In parallel, defense is being augmented by aircraft and ground forces
• Following an anti-tank missile attack on forces along the Blue Line in Israel’s north, the IDF struck a Hezbollah outpost and fired artillery in response

Message from Lt. Col. Richard Hecht

Six days later, the depth and depravity of the violence against Israeli civilians continues to come to light. I’ve seen this - first hand -  in visits I’ve conducted down south with international media today and yesterday.

Terrorists masquerading as soldiers, civilians butchered or burnt - the world is outraged. The magnitude of the violence may be shocking but Hamas’ mission is no surprise. The organization aims to wipe Israel off the map and despite the global outrage, they aren’t stopping either. Yesterday, while down south, I was just minutes from an attempted attack near Nir Am and rockets continue to be fired at Israeli civilians.

We are not complacent. The IDF has been fighting back - with force - against the savage violence and ongoing violence. And we will not stop in the face of this inhumane aggression.

The IDF continues to defend the State of Israel and its citizens. To date, over 300,000 reserve soldiers have been drafted and are deployed around the country as we prepare for a broader range of responses. The pace of our offensive operation is increasing and we stand ready for the next stage. We will defend the State of Israel.

Please follow me and the IDF online at

• Twitter (IDF, Richard)
• Instagram

Data Points

• Over 2,687 targets attacked
• 222 IDF soldiers confirmed as killed in action
• 97 families have been informed regarding the abduction of their loved ones.
• 300,000+ reservists drafted
• 5,000+ rockets launched into Israel

Key Links

• Morning briefing from the IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. (Hebrew Video, English transcript)
• Footage of overnight strikes in Gaza (video) and strike on Muhammad Abu Shamla (video)
• Video of repair activities on the Gaza security fence
• Video of the IDF strike on the Gaza University, which was used for military intelligence and weapons research/development training purposes

Arena Updates

War on Hamas in Gaza

On day six of the war with Hamas, the IDF continues to strike back, aiming to defeat Hamas and its capabilities. Over the course of many aerial sorties, the Israeli Air Force struck senior leadership, command and control centers, rocket launch sites, key Hamas financial and government institutions that contribute to its military operations. 

One particular focus last night (Wednesday/Thursday) was strikes conducted on dozens of Hamas’ Nukhba force sites. Hamas’ elite commando unit, which typically trains for kidnappings and infiltrations, was heavily involved in Saturday’s horrific attacks. The IDF is leveraging intelligence, including videos from the attack, to ensure that the IDF reaches every terrorist involved in the attacks. For example, between Tuesday and Wednesday, Mustafa Shaeen, who helped document the attacks, was targeted.

The IDF is leveraging intelligence to strike a crushing blow to Hamas. Examples of this include targeting Hamas’ early warning system installed in water heaters on top of residential homes, a strike on Muhammad Abu Shamla, a senior Hamas naval operative in the Rafah Brigade, a strike on the Gaza University (video), which was used to for intelligence and weapons development training (and which the IDF had flagged last year), and more.

Defense of Southern Israel

Despite ongoing attempts from Hamas terrorists, no infiltrations are currently taking place across the security fence. The engineering work on repairing breaches in the fence is nearly complete. These efforts are being secured by dozens of tanks, helicopters, drones and ground forces. Infiltration attempts by Hamas continue, and the IDF has been thwarting them, including a targeted attack on a Hamas navy commando (video) and an attack on a terrorist approaching the Gaza security fence.

The IDF also continues to identify and neutralize terrorists within southern Israel. This included one engagement yesterday afternoon, in which two terrorists were neutralized near Zikim, as well as another in which two terrorists were neutralized between Saad and Miflasim. In another incident, three terrorists were targeted by tank fire after being identified by IDF ground in the vicinity of Nir Am.

BG Barak Hiram, Commanding Officer of the 99th Division, briefing troops. The unit played a key role in fighting terrorists in Be’eri and Re׳im.

Additional Arenas

Following an attack yesterday morning on Israeli forces near Al-Aramshe , along the Blue Line in Israel’s north, the IDF responded with artillery and targeted a Hezbollah observation post. The military is in a state of heightened readiness and prepared for any threats. IDF reserve forces are also deployed and actively monitoring the area. In addition, activities across Judea and Samaria continue on a daily basis in order to ensure the safety and security of Israel and Israeli citizens. 

The Homefront

Rocket fire from Gaza has continued, including barrages of rockets towards southern and central Israel. There have been a number of civilian injuries, primarily from rockets targeting towns and cities in southern Israel. These rockets are also targeting both central and even northern Israel; in one case last night, a rocket fired from Gaza reached the Carmel region. In total, over 5,000 rockets have been fired at Israel. 

Another 33 families of IDF soldiers killed in action were notified today, bringing the total number of families notified to 122. A full list of IDF casualties is available here (Hebrew).

As of this morning, 97 families have been notified that their loved ones were abducted. The IDF is displaying an abundance of caution in veracity, which does require certain compromises with regard to speed of notification.