Israel at War: Day 82
Wednesday, December 27, marks day 82 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
23:00
For the first time since the onset of the war, a hostile UAV carrying explosives exploded in the Israeli part of the Golan Heights. The military reported finding the wreckage of an aircraft in the southern Golan Heights. Haim Rokah, the head of the Golan Regional Council, stated that the drone caused damage to several buildings.
22:00
Palestinian sources report that the CAHL has resumed attacks in the central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. Israeli artillery is firing at targets in the center of Khan Yunis and to the east of it. Fighting is ongoing in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central area.
20:00
IDF spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated at a daily briefing that three tunnel shafts had been discovered in the vicinity of the Rantisi Hospital, as well as on the premises of the Ramaz Fakhra Girls' School. The shafts extended tens of meters underground and were connected to an underground network running beneath the hospital, leading to strategic points in the center of Gaza City.
19:00
The Chief of General Staff, Herzi A-Levi, visited the headquarters of the Northern Military District, where he, along with the district commander Major General Uri Gordin and other commanders, held a meeting to assess the situation.
18:00
The mayor's office of Kiryat Shmona reported that during the latest shelling from Lebanon (sirens sounded in the city at 16:34), at least 11 rockets were launched, with at least four falling within the city limits. Additionally, several rockets were intercepted by the missile defense system. Consequently, a residential building, a kindergarten, an intra-city road, and a parked car were damaged due to the shelling.
16:00
The "Tzeva Adom" alarm was heard in Kiryat Shmona and in the village of Tel Hai, indicating missile launches from Lebanese territory. A second attack was soon recorded, prompting alarms in Kiryat Shmona and the village of Margaliyot. The Magen David Adom ambulance service reported that three residents of Kiryat Shmona required medical assistance to recover from a state of nervous shock. Fortunately, there were no wounded individuals.
The IDF continues to target Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon in response to rocket attacks and drone strikes. The IDF report highlighted that several rockets fired from Lebanon landed in open areas, prompting retaliatory strikes on launch points and other targets. Additionally, reports indicate that three aircraft-type UAVs were launched from Lebanese territory but fell in the area of Mount Dov.
15:00
The village of Nahal Oz is under fire from the Gaza Strip.
13:00
The Gaza Ministry of Health (an affiliate of Hamas) announced on December 27 that since the start of hostilities (October 7), more than 21,100 people have been reported killed in the Gaza Strip, and over 55,200 have been injured.
12:00
The IDF Spokesperson unit confirmed that today, December 27, at about 10 am over Rosh HaNikra, the missile defense system successfully intercepted several rockets fired from Lebanese territory. According to the IDF report, several missiles were not intercepted because they did not pose an immediate threat (they fell in open areas or in the sea). In response, IDF forces targeted missile launch points, as stated in the official announcement. It is also confirmed that on the night of December 27, an Israeli Air Force fighter attacked a military facility of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Additionally, several more strikes were carried out against targets in Lebanon.
On December 27, IDF forces, along with General Security Service (Shin Bet) and Border Police (MAHAV) officers, detained 14 terrorist suspects in Judea and Samaria.
The detainees were handed over to Shin Bet investigators for questioning. The IDF press office reported that operations were carried out in Hebron, Da'eisha (near Bethlehem), and Nur al-Shams (east of Tul Karem).
During the fighting in Nur al-Shams, an airstrike killed six armed terrorists who were throwing explosive devices at the military, as stated in an army statement. In Daesh, equipment was confiscated from a printing house that printed inflammatory materials for Hamas. Additionally, the military seized a multicopter.
Since the beginning of the war (October 7, 2023), approximately 2,550 terror suspects have been detained in the Palestinian Authority, with about 1,300 of them associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.
11:00
The Kisufim area is being shelled from Gaza.
10:00
The IDF launched a retaliatory strike against targets in southern Lebanon.
The "Tzeva Adom" alarm was heard in the Rosh HaNikra area, located on the western section of the Israel-Lebanon border, signaling missile launches from Lebanese territory. According to available data, the missiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. The alarm system was activated due to the threat of falling shrapnel in the Rosh HaNikra area.
09:00
Gaza sources reported that last night, 13 militants were killed during fighting in the northern part of the Strip and in Gaza City.
The IDF reports that approximately 200 targets were attacked in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours from land, air, and sea. Fighting in the Gaza Strip is ongoing.
Scouts from the 11th Iftah Brigade in the Shujaiyya area identified a group of militants, who were eliminated by the Israeli Air Force. Secondary explosions of ammunition were recorded after hitting the target. Soldiers from the 261st Brigade (officer school BAKHAD-1) spotted two militants driving up to a weapons depot in a car. Both the militants and the warehouse were eliminated by the Air Force.
Soldiers from the 401st Brigade operating in the Daraj Tuf area identified a militant preparing to fire an anti-tank missile at IDF positions. The militant was neutralized by tank fire.
Marines identified and eliminated a group of militants in the coastal zone. Additionally, the IDF Navy, in collaboration with the 14th Brigade, attacked Hamas targets along the coast.
08:00
The "Tseva Hadom" alarm was heard in the village of Nahal Oz, situated near the border with the Gaza Strip, signaling launches of mortar shells or rockets.
This incident marks the first shelling from Gaza today. As of now, there have been no reports of casualties or damage caused. The Al-Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad) have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israeli territory was once again targeted by fire from Lebanon, with at least 12 missiles launched. No alarm was raised in response.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that three individuals were killed in an IDF strike on a building in Bint Jbeil in the southern part of the country on the night of December 27.
Additionally, it was reported that on the evening of December 26, two Hezbollah activists were killed in a car attack in al-Kalil, south of Tire. Hezbollah claims that 128 of its commanders and fighters have been killed in fighting against Israel since October 7.
06:00
On the morning of December 27, the IDF reported the deaths of three more Israeli soldiers during fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Senior Lieutenant Yaron Eliezer Chitiz, 23, from Raanana, the deputy company commander of the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, died in battle in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Staff Sergeant Itai Buton, 20, from Petah Tikva, a member of the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, was killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip.
Staff Sergeant Efraim Yahman, 21, from Neve Daniel, a member of the Shaked Battalion of the Givati Brigade, was killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip.
05:00
Palestinian Authority (PA) sources report renewed clashes in Nur al-Shams, located east of Tul Karem.
04:00
Palestinian Authority: IDF forces are operating in Beit Rim, northwest of the city of Ramallah.
Palestinian Authority: During clashes with the Israeli military, and following an IDF strike on a group of "youths" in the Al-Mahjar area of the Noor al-Shams camp, located east of Tul Karem, at least six people were killed, and three more were injured (two of them were taken to the hospital in serious condition). The fighting in Nur al-Shams and in Tul Karem itself is ongoing.
03:00
Palestinian Authority: The IDF is operating in the Da'eishe camp, near Beit Lehem, and in Beit Lehem itself.
Sources in Gaza report ongoing fighting in the Jabaliya al-Balad area, in the north of the strip, and east of Rafah, in the south of the strip.
02:00
Reports indicate clashes with military personnel in Noor al-Shams, situated east of Tul Karem.
01:00
IDF Navy boats fired towards the coast of Dir al-Balah.
00:00
Sources in Gaza reported that the IDF struck the home of the Abu Adwan family east of Rafah, resulting in casualties. Additionally, the IDF fired artillery shells at the outskirts of Khan Yunis.
The anti-terrorist operation is underway in Beit Ummar and Surif (Hebron area), as well as in Tul Karem.
The most recent attacks from Gaza were recorded at 15:52 on December 26. During the ongoing war, terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip typically (though not always) cease firing rockets at Israeli territory overnight.