Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari December 2nd, 21:05

Good week.

This evening we announced the death of the commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, Colonel Asaf Chamami, may his memory be a blessing. He fell on October 7 and was captured by the terrorist organization Hamas. Asaf led the fighting forces, fought with courage and bravery out of love for the State of Israel, and in his fall in defense of its civilians.

137 hostages, abducted on October 7, are still being held in Gaza. It is our duty to bring them all home. Dear families, you and your loved ones are our priority.

IDF forces are now operating in the Gaza Strip and are progressing in the stages of combat. Today, the IDF and the ISA killed the terrorist Wisam Farahat. Wisam Farahat was the commander of the Sajaiya battalion of the terrorist organization Hamas. Farahat was responsible for the APC disaster in Operation Protective Edge, in which six IDF soldiers from the 13th Battalion of Golani were killed and Oron Shaul, may his memory be a blessing, was captured. Farahat planned and sent the terrorists on October 7 towards Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the brutal massacre that was carried out. We will continue to pursue each of the terrorists who participated in the October 7th massacre, and eliminate them. The operation in the Northern Gaza Strip generated military pressure and enabled the realization of the framework within which some of the hostages returned. Now, we are determined to continue to fight, dismantle Hamas, and bring all the hostages home.

In the past day, we struck over 400 Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip, in which we eliminated Hamas commanders, Hamas fighters, Hamas terrorists, Hamas infrastructure, and we will continue to do so and dismantle Hamas.

In the north, today, Air Force combat jets attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. During the day, we attacked targets from which rocket fire was carried out towards northern Israel. We are highly prepared in the north, and we will continue to respond to any attack or threat to the State of Israel.