Israel at War: What happened on day 15?

The air force chief said he “wouldn’t want to swap places with our enemy and face an IDF division or brigade,” as the army continued with its plans for an invasion of Gaza.

Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar’s comments were made on Saturday during a briefing of squadron commanders in preparation for the invasion.

At the briefing, Bar also said the Israel Air Force has struck Hamas with thousands of missiles.

“We will come in with full force and strike them as if [it was] the first day of the battle,” Bar said. “Our role is to ‘embrace’ the land forces and say: ‘The enemy you are about to encounter met us before’” – meaning that the air force had worn down Hamas before the ground forces had to enter.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, “Gaza is densely populated; the enemy has prepared a lot [for our invasion], but we are also preparing,” during a visit to Golani troops.

Israel Air Force drills with foreign forces in the ''Blue Drill'' exercise in October 2021. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his inner war cabinet, along with National Unity Party leader and war minister Benny Gantz, also met on Saturday. The content of the meeting is classified.

Earlier Saturday, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari said one-fifth of the rockets fired by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have misfired in the last day, landing inside Gaza and killing civilians.

Over the course of the conflict, 550 rockets have been misfired into Gaza by the terror groups. “They are killing their own people,” he said.

The announcement came only a few days after Hamas accused Israel of firing a rocket that struck Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, killing dozens of people. The accusation was quickly dispelled by the IDF and independent, international investigators who found the rocket emanated from a PIJ misfire.

Weekend rockets with few hits

Over the weekend, Hamas continued its rocket fire on Tel Aviv and the Gaza corridor, but with even less success in hitting Israelis or disturbing daily life as compared to many other days in recent weeks.

Hagari said, however, that Israel is continuing to attack Hamas military targets in the northern Gaza Strip in preparation for an imminent ground invasion. Israel planned to enter Gaza last week, but delayed due to a variety of factors, including evacuating civilians, US pressure on humanitarian issues, tactical concerns about Hezbollah’s intention, and traps that Hamas might be setting. He said 700,000 residents had already moved to the southern Gaza Strip.

Hagari also updated the number of soldiers killed and hostages taken. He said Israel had been in touch with the families of 307 fallen soldiers so far. He also raised the number of hostages to 210, noting that the country constantly gathers intelligence and informs families as soon as they know something new.

“That number will continue to change, and we will update you every time we tell a new family” that their loved one has been kidnapped.

On Thursday, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon said a complex array of factors meant that the IDF had high certainty about a majority of its estimates, but that there were dozens or more cases that still required more examination of evidence, DNA testing, and other issues.

Some 765 civilians murdered by Hamas since the start of the war have so far been identified, the police said on Saturday.

The police, the IDF, and volunteers from ZAKA at the casualty identification station in Camp Shora have been working to identify the victims of Hamas’s massacre in the South for the past two weeks. They said the 765 victims who have been so far identified comprise approximately 75% of the Israeli civilians who were killed in the conflict.

Meanwhile, the IDF and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Saturday arrested 89 wanted terrorists in Judea and Samaria overnight, including 68 members of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Among those arrested were prominent and close associates of Saleh al-Arouri, who, from outside the area, manages military-terrorist networks in the West Bank. These included al-Arouri’s brother and cousin – both members of Hamas – and Abraham Suleiman from Nablus, a prominent Hamas operative and former prisoner.

In addition, the IDF demolished the home of Hamas terrorist Maher Shalon, who carried out the Almog junction shooting attack in February, which killed Israeli-American Elan Ganeles.

During the operation, several suspects threw stones at the forces and fired explosives, prompting the troops to respond with fire. Injuries were reported.

In addition, the army and Shin Bet said forces located and confiscated materials used for manufacturing weapons in the village of Qusra.

Since the start of the conflict on October 7, there have been 670 wanted individuals arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria region, as well as in the Jordan Valley and the Bekaa region, with over 450 affiliated with Hamas, the army said.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. 

Discussions between the United States and Israel regarding the continuation of the war in Gaza have addressed the plan for ‘the day after,’ according to a Saturday report from N12.

Israel, the report claims citing American sources, has expressed its desire not to return to military control of the Strip and prefers to negotiate an interim government with the United Nations and the governments of Arab countries taking part.

There is no confirmation that Arab countries in the region would be interested in such an arrangement and the report stresses that such discussions remain in their nascent stages.

N12 quoted a White House National Security Council spokesman as saying that the US focus remains on creating a unified anti-terror front and pressing for the admittance of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

History repeating itself?

Lessons learned during the US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, in which US forces found themselves facing a drawn-out insurgency, guide US President Joe Biden in urging caution on the Israeli side.

US Army soldiers keep watch on the US embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020 (credit: DOD/LT. COL. ADRIAN WEALE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

"Justice must be done, but it is important for me to emphasize: while you feel this rage, do not let it consume you,"  the President said during his wartime visit to Israel on Wednesday. "After 9/11 we felt the same rage in the United States. While we sought justice and received it - we also made mistakes."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensiy talked with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, Zelensky said, in a call where the two men discussed Ukraine's peace formula, food security, and situation in the Middle East.

"We discussed the next round of negotiations on the Peace Formula, which will take place in Malta. Turkey will participate, adding its authoritative voice and position," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

"We also discussed the situation in the Middle East and agreed on the need to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for humanitarian law," he added.

One-fifth of the rockets fired by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have been misfired in the last day, landing inside Gaza and killing civilians, the IDF said in a briefing on Saturday.

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said that amounts to more than 500 rockets.

“They are killing their own people,” he said. 

The announcement came only a few days after Hamas accused Israel of firing a rocket that struck Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, killing dozens of people. The accusation was quickly dispelled by the IDF and independent, international investigators who found the rocket emanated from a PIJ misfire. 

Hagari said, however, that Israel is continuing to attack Hamas military targets in the northern Gaza Strip in preparation for an imminent ground invasion. Israel planned to enter Gaza last week but delayed first due to weather and then at the reported request of the United States to first allow entry of humanitarian aid into the southern part of the strip.

Humanitarian aid enters Gaza

On Saturday, 20 trucks carrying medicine, food and other supplies entered Gaza. Israel did not allow fuel to enter. 

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is not good,” Hagari said. “We continue to tell residents to move south. The humanitarian aid will only go to the south, while the IDF continues to step up attacks against Hamas in the north.”

He said some 700,000 residents had already moved south. 

Hostages increase to 210

Hagari also updated the number of soldiers killed and hostages taken. He said that Israel had been in touch with the families of 307 fallen soldiers so far. He also raised the number of hostages to 210, noting that the country constantly gathers intelligence and informs families as soon as they know something new. 

“That number will continue to change, and we will update you every time we tell a new family” that their loved one has been kidnapped.

Following the cyber attack on Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer on Saturday, the Health Ministry has disconnected the remote internet connection to the hospital's network.

Additionally, the Health Ministry disconnected the remote internet connection to several additional hospitals as a preventive effort.

The Health Ministry stated that there was no damage to the functioning of the hospitals and the service to patients continued as usual.

Two Thai foreign nationals were wounded by shrapnel in the Galilee Panhandle region, Magen David Adom said Saturday. 

MDA paramedics and EMTs provided medical treatment to the two men, aged roughly 35 years, and evacuated them to the hospital.

One of the men is in moderate condition with an injury to his chest and the other is in a mild condition with a limb injury.

The website of the Israeli Chevra Kadisha (Jewish Burial Society) came under cyber attack on Saturday afternoon.

The site displayed the message "hacked by x7root" alongside an image of Jews lined up outside a gas chamber and text filled with antisemitic and homophobic messages referring to Jews as "the dirtiest people" and "people who usurped the land."

The Chevra Kadisha is responsible for the preparation of the dead for burial according to Jewish traditions.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Saturday he had spoken to the Israeli government about its duty to act in accordance with international law and to preserve civilian lives in Gaza, and for its military to show restraint.

"I have spoken directly to the Israeli Government, about their duty to respect international law and the importance of preserving civilian lives in Gaza," Cleverly told the Cairo Peace Summit hosted by Egypt.

"Despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, I have called for discipline and professionalism and restraint from the Israeli military."

The death toll in Gaza rose to 4,385 dead with 13,651 injured since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated on Oct. 7, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The dead include 1,756 children and 976 women, the health ministry added.

Several rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the area of Mount Dov, the army said Saturday afternoon.

IDF forces fired toward the sources of the shooting.