Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, October 9th, Morning

“We are on the second day of war with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations. IDF forces operated throughout the night in order to secure the area surrounding Gaza, neutralize terrorists, and take control over areas of active combat. 

We have taken control of all points of infiltration from Gaza into Israel and our forces have neutralized hundreds of terrorists. Active combat and heroic battles to rescue hostages are taking place right now and have taken place throughout the night. Soldiers and commanders have been killed during combat and civilians have been murdered.

We neutralized hundreds of terrorists and apprehended tens. We have IDF forces operating in centers of combat at the moment, we have IDF presence in every town and community in southern Israel including special forces and entire infantry battalions and brigades. Not one town is without IDF presence. Our mission for the next 24 hours is to evacuate all civilians from the towns and communities of the south, this evacuation effort needs to be safe, we will scan the area  to make sure there are no terrorists and have buses evacuate the civilians. This mission will be completed today. 

There are tens of thousands of soldiers in the area surrounding Gaza and we will continue to deploy more until we neutralize every single terrorist that is in Israeli territory.

Our counterattack on Hamas in Gaza has been strong; we struck about 500 terrorist targets and Hamas infrastructure and will continue to do so.Hamas commanders’ houses are being struck, as are Hamas symbols and towers, and we will continue and expand our counterstrikes.

Hundreds of terrorists have been neutralized, tens have been apprehended, some were neutralized as they were invading Israel over the security fence, and others as they were retreating back to Gaza. We have killed over 400 and apprehended tens as I have mentioned. There are thousands injured in Gaza.

Shots have been fired toward IDF posts in the north; no soldiers have been injured. The IDF struck the sources of the shootings using artillery; there is no additional threat in Mount Dov or the northern region at the moment.

We are highly prepared and alert in the northern command and have aerial and ground forces present there. We are fully ready in all arenas, including Judea and Samaria, we are highly prepared, and the region has been cleared. As I mentioned, we are looking at each and every battle front and are prepared for the combat in all arenas.

Anyone who attacks the State of Israel will pay a very heavy price. We are keeping track of all fallen and injured soldiers, and so far we have updated 26 families regarding the deaths of their loved ones. I share in the grief of the families in this difficult time and wish full recovery to all those who have been injured.

I am concluding a difficult 24 hours, more challenging days lie ahead. The strength of the civilians of southern Israel, the areas surrounding Gaza, and Israeli civilians as a whole is a critical foundation for our ability to operate and fight. The mission for the next 24 hours is to conclude current active battles and neutralize all terrorists in the areas surrounding Gaza. To control all invasion points in the security fence and evacuate the civilians in the areas surrounding Gaza so we can continue fighting.

We are continuing with extensive counterstrikes on terrorist targets in Gaza and will make those who attacked us pay for their actions. During these difficult times, we are all required to show nation-wide unity and responsibility. As the IDF has proven in the past, we can handle every war, and that is what we will do now. 

Hamas’ brutal attack is a war crime. Taking women and children captive violates international law and goes against Islam. We will make anyone who took part in this attack pay.

The most important thing for the IDF is the public’s strength and trust. The war is difficult, and challenging days are ahead. The IDF is powerful and will exercise every bit of its power and strength.