Operation Pillar of Defense

The operation began with the elimination of Ahmed Jabari, head of the Hamas military branch in the Gaza Strip. Jabari was one of the leaders of the Hamas terrorist organization and directly responsible for attacks on Israel in the past, as well as the kidnapping and captivity of Gilad Shalit.

Within eight days, the IDF targeted more than 1,500 terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip, that had identified and located by intelligence forces in the months beforehand. The following targets were hidden by Hamas in the heart of civilian settlement areas:

• 19 leaders of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization
• 30 major command headquarters
• 980 underground rocket launchers
• 140 tunnels used for transferring weapons
• 66 tools used for terrorist activities
• 42 control rooms and Hamas bases
• 26 sites used for weapon storage and production
• Tens of long range missile launchers

During the operation, Hamas and other terrorist organizations fired long-range rockets, such as the Iranian-made Fajr-5s, into Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time. During the operation, the IDF significantly damaged the terrorists’ missile arsenal and their launching abilities. Despite the IDF’s achievements, more than 3.5 million Israelis were still in Hamas’ range of rocket fire.

Due to the nature of asymmetric conflicts, collateral civilian victims are a tragic, but unfortunately inevitable, consequence of operations in the Gaza Strip. Nevertheless, as usual, the IDF made great efforts to reduce the number of civilian casualties and amount of collateral damage.

In spite of the IDF warnings to save civilian lives, Hamas ordered its people to ignore these warnings, and used its civilians as human shields. Hamas launched rockets from homes, schools and mosques, and set up its infrastructure in the offices of various media organizations in Gaza.

Over these eight days, life became unbearable for the 3.5 million Israelis within the range of Hamas rockets. Gazan terrorists bombed Israel with more than 1,500 rockets.

More than 900 rockets hit Israel and over 400 others were intercepted by the Iron Dome batteries, which saved the lives of a large number of Israeli civilians. More than a hundred rockets fired by terrorists hit the Gaza Strip itself, making Gazan civilians victims of Hamas terror too.

Despite all the efforts made by the Home Front Command, four Israeli civilians were killed by rockets from Gaza, and 112 others were wounded. Corporal Yosef Fartuk, 18, who was serving in the IDF, was killed on November 20 by a rocket fired from Gaza. In addition, on November 22, 18-year-old Lieutenant Boris Yamulnik succumbed to his wounds after being hit by a rocket fired from Gaza the day before.

Number of rockets fired into Israel during the operation:

• November 14: 75 rockets
• November 15: 316 rockets
• November 16:228 rockets
• November 17: 237 rockets
• November 18: 156 rockets
• November 19: 143 rockets
• November 20: 221 rockets
• November 21 (until 9 pm): 130 rockets

 Number of rockets that hit Israel:

• Total number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip: 1506
• Number of rockets fired in vacant space: 875
• Number of rockets that hit populated areas: 58
• Number of rockets intercepted by the Iron Dome: 421
• Number of rockets fired, but didn't hit: 152

 Israeli victims:

• Deaths: 6
• Injured: 240

View updates on the 2023 Hamas - Israel War here