Israel at War: Day 83
Thursday, December 27, marks day 83 of the war that commenced with rocket attacks on central Israel from Gaza and an invasion by thousands of Hamas militants. The ongoing confrontation has resulted in the deaths of over a thousand civilians, along with hundreds of police and military personnel. Approximately 240 Israelis and foreign citizens were captured, with many still being held in the Gaza Strip.
A ceasefire was in place from November 24-30, enabling the release of 105 hostages held by terrorists, including 81 Israelis. To date, Hamas has released a total of 109 hostages, with one female soldier rescued by the IDF during the Gaza operation.
Unfortunately, some hostages have been confirmed deceased. Three hostages, who had escaped from terrorists, were accidentally killed by the Israeli military. According to the IDF, terrorists currently hold 128 hostages in the Gaza Strip, including 117 Israeli citizens.
On October 7, the first day of the war, Hamas terrorists targeted a music festival near the Gaza border in the Reim forest. Approximately 3,000 attendees were present at the festival. The attack resulted in thousands of casualties and hundreds of hostages. Terrorists conducted massacres in the Be'eri, Kfar Aza, and Nir Oz villages, claiming the lives of many, including the elderly, women, and children. Additionally, they invaded Sderot, Ofakim, Netivot, and other Western Negev settlements, causing fatalities and carrying out thefts against Israelis.
Shortly after the attack, Hamas declared war on Israel, giving its actions the name "Al-Aqsa Flood". In response, the Israeli government declared a state of war (for the first time since 1973) and the beginning of the War of "Iron Swords".
In Israel, almost 1,400 people died on October 7 and in the following days of the war. About 11,000 people were wounded or injured. Among those killed were citizens from Israel, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Brazil, China, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
Israel has not suffered such losses since the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago.
A ground military operation has been ongoing in Gaza since late October. During clashes with terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the IDF suffered substantial losses, with 154 soldiers killed. The IDF reported around 8,000 Hamas militants and their leaders killed in Gaza since the war began. Additionally, there were casualties among military personnel during border confrontations with Lebanon.
Since the beginning of the war, over 12,000 rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip, with the IDF estimating that up to 15% landed within Gaza. Additionally, hundreds of rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon, with about 20% landing on Lebanese territory. Both Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists utilized attack UAVs.
Since the war began, hundreds of thousands of Israelis, in both the southern and northern regions, were compelled to flee their homes.
The IDF continues to intensively strike Gaza targets using Air Force, Navy, and artillery. Over 22,000 targets in Gaza have been attacked since the war began. Strikes on southern Lebanon targets are routine, and the IDF is conducting operations within Syria.
The Gaza Ministry of Health (linked to Hamas) reports more than 21,100 fatalities and over 55,200 wounded since the war's onset.
UN reports 1.7 million Gaza residents displaced, with WHO stating 1.3 million in south strip shelters. The IDF says 1 million displaced Gazans are living in shelters in the south of the strip.
Humanitarian aid entered Gaza on October 21, with a significant portion received by Hamas.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
19:00
Palestinian sources reported the destruction of a mosque in the Sheikh Raduan area. An airstrike targeted a residential building near the Kuwait Hospital in Rahfat, resulting in 16 fatalities and several injuries.
18:00
Palestinian reports indicate that the son of Marwan Issa, deputy commander of the Izaddin al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas' military wing), was killed in an IDF strike in the Gaza Strip on December 26. In the Al-Bureid refugee camp, residents from other areas who fled their homes after the war were reportedly detained.
17:00
IDF forces were reported to have entered Nil'in, near Ramallah, according to Palestinian Authority sources. In Gaza, the IDF continued striking targets in Jabaliya throughout the day, causing significant damage and casualties. Additional strikes occurred in Khan Yunis and its western and eastern areas, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
In the southern industrial zone of Ashkelon, the "Tseva HaAdom" alarm sounded, indicating a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, local authorities at Kibbutz Nir Oz received information that 70-year-old Judith Weinstein-Hagai, abducted by terrorists on October 7, had died in the Gaza Strip. Her body is being held by terrorists.
On December 22, it was announced that Gadi (Gad) Hagai, Judith's husband, also died in Gaza, with his body similarly held by terrorists.
16:00
The IDF conducted retaliatory strikes on missile launch sites in southern Lebanon.
The "Tzeva HaAdom" alarm sounded in Kiryat Shmona, Misgav Am, Margaliyot, Kfar Giladi, and Tel Hai, followed by an alarm in Arab al-Aramsha about a quarter of an hour later. Missile launches from Lebanese territory were confirmed.
15:00
The Erez checkpoint was shelled from Gaza, leading to an alarm in the Majdal Shams area and its surroundings. Another UAV launch from Lebanon was suspected, with the air defense battery activated.
The Gaza Ministry of Health, affiliated with Hamas, reported on December 28 that since the start of hostilities on October 7, more than 21,320 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, and over 55,600 have been injured.
14:00
An alarm sounded in the north, signaling an airspace invasion in the Hermon area.
13:00
"Tzeva HaAdom" sirens were heard in Acre and the vicinity of Haifa, including Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Motzkin, Kiryat Yam, Kfar Masaryk, and the Shaar Naaman industrial zone.
Three explosions were reported, explained by the IDF spokesperson as the air defense system intercepting an unmanned aircraft launched from Lebanon.
12:00
Signals of "Tzeva HaAdom" were heard in the villages of Nirim and Ein HaShlosha near the Gaza Strip border.
Rocket or mortar shell launches were recorded, marking the first shelling of Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on that day.
11:00
The Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority reports the death of one of the militants who was wounded two weeks ago during clashes with the Israeli military in Nablus.
09:00
The Red Crescent declares that 10 people were killed and 12 others were injured in an explosion near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip.
In the Upper Galilee, near the border with Lebanon, an alarm was heard. Alarm signals were sounded in the villages of Shtula, Shomera, Zarit, and Even Menachem. According to preliminary information, there was an attempted infiltration by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The air defense battery is active.
Gaza's Ministry of Health, affiliated with Hamas, states that IDF strikes resulted in the death of 17 individuals in the central sector during the first nine hours of December 28. Reports of fatalities came from Nuseirat, Dir al-Balah, and al-Maazi.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared money changers "Halhul," "Bayt al-Maqdas," "Al-Fakhr," "Al-Ajuli," and "Nur al-Hada," operating in the Palestinian Authority settlements in Judea and Samaria, as entities promoting terrorism.
According to the Ministry of Defense, these offices are involved in transferring money to terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It is worth noting that on the night of Thursday, December 28, IDF, Shin Bet, and Israeli police forces conducted operations in populated areas of the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria to combat terror financing. Searches and detentions were carried out in the offices and homes of owners and employees of money changers. Tens of millions of shekels were confiscated in Ramallah, Jenin, Hebron, Tul-Karem, Atira, and El-Bir, along with documents, mobile phones, computers, and 21 suspects were detained.
08:00
The IDF reports that ground forces are advancing in the Gaza Strip, eliminating militants and destroying the enemy's weapons and ammunition. In the Dardja Tufah area, fighters from the 162nd Brigade identified a group of militants preparing to launch an attack using anti-tank rockets and directed aviation towards them. The militants were successfully neutralized.
In the same area, fighters from the 401st Brigade eliminated several groups of militants, launching attacks from both land and air. The "Bislah" Brigade fighters destroyed terrorist infrastructure inside a building from which anti-tank rockets had been fired shortly before.
The "Nachal" Brigade fighters directed an Air Force fighter jet to a building where militants had taken refuge, having previously targeted Israeli military personnel with anti-tank missiles.
Following clashes, fighters from the 14th Brigade entered a house from which gunfire was coming and discovered a significant amount of weaponry. The naval forces continued providing fire support to the ground units operating in the Gaza Strip.
06:00
On the morning of December 28, the IDF reported the loss of three more Israeli servicemen during combat in the Gaza Strip.
Reserve Staff Sergeant Asaf Pinhas Tubul, 22 years old from Kiryat Motzkin, a fighter in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Sa'ar mi-Golan Brigade, lost his life in battle in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Reserve Captain Neria Zisk, 24 years old from Masuot Itzhak, an officer in the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade "Ikvot a-Barzel," perished in combat in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
Major Dvir David Fima, 32 years old from Kfar Yona, the deputy commander of the 198th Battalion of the 460th Armored Brigade "Bnei Or," lost his life in battle in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
It is also reported that on December 27, three servicemen were severely wounded during the fighting in Gaza: an officer and a fighter from the 77th Battalion of the 7th Sa'ar mi-Golan Brigade, and a fighter from the 7107th Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.
From October 31 to December 28, a total of 167 IDF soldiers have lost their lives during the ground operation in Gaza.
Since October 7, due to terrorist attacks on "Black Saturday" and the subsequent war, 501 IDF soldiers have lost their lives.
05:00
The "Shehab" agency reports one fatality during clashes with the military in Ramallah.
Information is emerging about a shootout between militants and Israeli forces in Jenin. Additional IDF forces are being deployed to the city. An aerial strike has neutralized a group of militants, and local sources report at least three individuals wounded.
According to sources in the Palestinian Authority, IDF forces are operating in the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm.
04:00
Sources in the Palestinian Authority report that IDF forces are operating in the village of Rujib, east of Nablus. Suspects have been detained.
The IDF artillery continues to shell Al-Bureij in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
03:00
Reports are emerging about IDF actions in the area of Baka ash-Sharqiya, a suburb of Tulkarm.
IDF forces are withdrawing from Nablus.
02:00
Reports are emerging of injuries resulting from clashes between militants and the military in Ramallah.
Sources in the Palestinian Authority indicate that IDF forces are operating in the Old City of Nablus (Kasbah). Clashes are taking place, with casualties reported from the Palestinian side.
According to sources in the Palestinian Authority, IDF forces are active in Ramallah, Tulkarm, and Halhul (north of Hebron). Military personnel are conducting searches in "exchange bureaus" and residences.
Sources in the Palestinian Authority report that IDF forces are operating in Jenin. Clashes are occurring, with casualties reported from the Palestinian side.
Sources in Gaza report that the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in the Az-Zuhur area in Rafah. A fire broke out as a result.
Sources in the Palestinian Authority indicate that IDF forces are operating in Jericho. There are reports of clashes in the areas of Mughayyir and Ain as-Sultan.
01:00
The IDF is conducting counter-terrorism operations in Jenin and Ramallah.
According to Palestinian sources, as a result of Israeli army actions in Dir al-Balah, in the central part of the Gaza Strip, at least eight people have lost their lives. An airstrike is reported to have targeted a house and a civilian vehicle.
In the Az-Zuhur area in Rafah, a strike was carried out on the Al-Kasas family's house. Injuries are reported.
00:00
Members of the military-political cabinet have essentially authorized the "inner" cabinet responsible for conducting the war to make decisions regarding transitioning to the next phases of the conflict. This information was reported by the Ynet website.
According to the source, the "inner" cabinet will have the authority to decide when the current, second stage will conclude and the third stage will commence. At this point, substantial IDF forces will be introduced or withdrawn from the Gaza Strip, and they will not remain in the Palestinian enclave for an extended period. According to estimates, the current stage may conclude by the end of January.
The latest attacks from Gaza were recorded at 15:20 on December 27. During the ongoing war, terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip generally (but not always) cease rocket attacks on Israeli territory "overnight."