Daily Recap: October 13th, 2023 (17:00)
13.10.23
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Overview
- The IDF continued to strike terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip. An additional 750 sites were attacked overnight
- This included strikes against UAV launch sites, underground tunnels, terrorist outposts, and residences of senior Hamas operatives used for military purposes.
- The IDF remains prepared to increase its activity against Hamas. Given Hamas’ tactics of hiding behind Gaza’s civilians, the IDF instructed residents of Gaza City to evacuate to southern Gaza for their own safety ahead of the potential of a large increase of IDF operational strikes in that area, alongside ongoing strikes against Hamas targets throughout Gaza.
- Defense of the Israeli homefront remains a key focus. Rockets continued on southern and central Israel yesterday and today, including rockets that landed in Sderot, resulting in a number of casualties. Five terrorists were neutralized in a number of isolated encounters over the past 24 hours, reaching as far as northern Israel.
- While no active engagements took place over the last day on the northern border, the area of Metula was declared a closed military zone (CMZ) following a situational assessment.
- Overnight, 47 terrorist operatives - including 34 Hamas operatives - were arrested in Judea and Samaria.
Letter from Lt. Col. Richard Hecht
Earlier today I visited the Shura Rabbinical base in central Israel, together with over one hundred foreign correspondents. Over the past week, the base has spearheaded the unthinkable task of identifying the bodies of many of the 1,300 men, women and children so brutally murdered in this week’s Hamas attack, and preparing them for burial, where they can hopefully find peace.
When Shura was built, no one imagined that it would need to contend with the atrocities it contends with today. Certainly, no one imagined the sheer scale.
Throughout the visit, my team and I were asked again and again about something happening down south. This morning, the IDF distributed leaflets urging Gazans to evacuate to southern Gaza, in an effort to mitigate civilian casualties during critical military activities against Hamas.
The IDF urged Gaza’s residents to distance themselves from Hamas, a radical organization that the world now knows for its ISIS-like cruelty to Israelis. But, in truth, Hamas is holding Gazans themselves hostage. Positioned under homes, schools, mosques and hospitals, Hamas attacks Israelis while cowering behind Gaza’s residents.
In the face of the IDF’s life-saving measures, Hamas reveals its true face, calling the warnings fake. Physically preventing their residents from evacuating. Here, from this place of death, it has never been clearer that we value life. That the West values life. And it is for this exact reason that we will win.
Address from the IDF Chief of the General Staffs
The following is a transcript of a speech by the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, conducted on October 12.
We are five days after a brutal and shocking event. The massacre by the murderous and savage Hamas terrorists, of our children, our women, our people, is barbaric, it is not humane.
The IDF is fighting ruthless terrorists who have committed acts that are beyond belief.
in every place where there are people, in every place where humanity exists.
This heinous attack was orchestrated by Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. And so he, and the entire system underneath him, are dead men. We will target them, break them, and dismantle their system. The IDF, under my command, understands the gravity of the situation and the responsibility on our shoulders. The IDF is responsible for the security of the state and its civilians, and this past Saturday we did not achieve this. We will learn and analyze what happened, but now it is a time of war. At this difficult time, I want you to know that the IDF is here, the defending force of the State of Israel. With all its might, capabilities, and beyond all, its incredible personnel.
I am very proud to lead them, the commanders and soldiers who are ready to fight with determination and dedication. Among them are many reservists who left everything behind in a split second to join the fight, to protect our home. I was in the field. I saw the horrors, I saw the images, and I spoke with commanders and soldiers who fought on the ground. Alongside the enemy’s atrocities, we also witnessed heroics by civilians, soldiers and our security and rescue forces. They used what they had and went to fight, to stop this attack, with one thing on their mind, to save lives.
The cost of the war is heavy and hard to bear. I deeply share the sorrow of the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. We will do everything we can to return the kidnapped victims. The fighting spirit of the IDF strikes Gaza with full force, and we will not stop here. There is decisiveness, there is fury. In this wide offensive operation, we have killed many terrorists, many commanders, and we are destroying the terrorist infrastructure that supported this terrible, cruel crime. Gaza will not look the same. We will achieve a situation where those who led Gaza will suffer greatly, and we will dismantle it. And whoever remains there, will understand that such a thing is not to be done to the State of Israel .
It will take time, and it requires patience and I am glad that we have unity and brotherhood. We will strike a decisive blow to our enemies. That is our mission today, and we are determined to achieve it.
Hamas War Data Points (October 13, 2023)
- 6,000 rockets fired
- Over 1,000 terrorists killed
- 258 IDF soldiers confirmed as killed in action
- 120 families updated about abducted kin
Key Links
- Attack on Hamas UAV launchpads (Video)
- Helmet camera footage from IDF special forces while storming an overrun military outpost - Suffa - this weekend (Video)
Morning briefing from the IDF Spokesperson, BG Hagari. (Hebrew Video)
Arena Updates
War on Hamas in Gaza
Nearly one week since Hamas’ attacks on Israeli towns and communities, IDF strikes on terrorist sites in Gaza continue, aimed at Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities. 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. In total, over 1,000 terrorists have been killed.
The IDF continues to rely on intelligence to execute these attacks. One series of targets hit included a network of UAV launch sites in and on top of homes in Gaza. Site targeted last night included homes of a Nukhba force operative, an operational Hamas site in which it appears Yahya Sinwar’s brother was in, and a Hamas intelligence post being used to track force movements.
On Friday, ahead of a continuation of IDF operational strikes, the IDF called for Gaza civilians to move south of Wadi Gaza through a variety of channels, including traditional media and digital media, all in Arabic. This aims to provide effective and advance warnings so that civilians can protect themselves by evacuating, seeking shelter, or taking other appropriate action.
These warnings are a stark counterpoint to Hamas’ atrocious war crimes against Israeli civilians. Hamas’ disregard for human life extends to Gaza civilians as well; the terrorist organization instructed Gaza civilians to ignore the warnings, with reports of them actively blocking civilians from leaving.
The Erez Crossing remains out of operation following Hamas’ attacks on it, while Kerem Crossing remains under attack. 9 of the 10 electricity lines from Israel into Gaza were destroyed by Hamas rocket fire. Israel has declared it will not fix this infrastructure or continue its supply of electricity and fuel to Gaza, which Hamas exploits for military use and prevents from reaching the civilian population.
Defense of Southern Israel
IDF forces in southern Israel continue to rebuff attempted infiltration attacks as well as isolated attacks from terrorist cells that remained in southern Israel. This included the neutralization of a terrorist near Kibbutz Kissufim on Thursday evening - one of the towns that had been attacked during Saturday’s massacre. In total, at least five terrorists have been neutralized by IDF forces in the past 24 hours.
Additional Arenas
The military is in a state of heightened readiness and prepared for any threats. As part of the ongoing situational assessment, the IDF declared the area of Metula, the most northern part of Israel, as a closed military zone. IDF forces are deployed and actively monitoring the area.
During the course of overnight operations in Judea and Samaria, 47 operatives were arrested, 34 of whom belonged to Hamas. A Hamas explosives lab was also found in Azun. In total, 130 Hamas operatives have been arrested in the Judea, Samaria and Beka’a region since Saturday.
The Homefront
Rocket fire from Gaza has continued, including barrages of rockets towards southern and central Israel, with a salvo fired at northern Israel on Friday afternoon. Particularly heavy barrages were fired towards Ashkelon (pop. 132,000) and Sderot (pop. 27,000). As of yesterday, over 6,000 rockets have been fired at Israel.
Another 12 families of IDF soldiers killed in action were notified today, bringing the total number of families notified to 258. 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 continues to prioritize accuracy over speed in notifications given the extreme sensitivity required.
IDF Chief of the General Staffs: October 12, 2023
