Israel at war: What happened on day 16?

A poll commissioned by the Israel Victory Project found that 70% of the Israeli public wants ‘eliminating Hamas’ to be the primary objective of Operation Swords of Iron. 54% of the respondents who said they had voted for an Arab party in the last election chose this option.

A separate answer, that the primary objective should be to ‘disarm Hamas completely,’ received 13% of responses. Only 15% of respondents chose ‘the unconditional release of captives’ as their choice for the operation’s primary objective.

The poll did not define ‘eliminating Hamas,’ but it did ask respondents who they thought ‘should rule Gaza after the overthrow of the Hamas regime.’

On this, respondents were almost evenly split into four camps: 24% said that Israel should govern Gaza, 22% chose the Palestinian Authority, 19% chose ‘Arab nations,’ and another 24% chose, simply, ‘new leadership in Gaza.’

When given a choice between ‘launching a ground operation in Gaza to eradicate Hamas’ or ‘avoiding a ground operation and finding another way to deal with Hamas,’ 68% said they would choose the ground invasion, while 25% chose the more nebulous second option. 

Asked how much consideration Israel should give to its opinion abroad, 43% of respondents said Israel must consider the perspective of allies, particularly the United States, while 55% responded that Israel ‘must ignore external demands and make its own security decisions.’

Asked whether, ‘if Saudi Arabia demands significant concessions to the Palestinian Authority by Israel as the price for formal ties,’ Israel should agree to the terms, 72% said no, while 21% said yes.

Billboard displayed near Prime Minister Bennett’s home, June 17, 2021. (credit: Courtesy)

Poll supports the views of the group that commissioned it

The Israel Victory Project (IVP), which commissioned the poll, states as its purpose “to put an end to the Palestinian resistance and thus ensure conditions for ending the conflict with the Palestinians and the bloodshed.”

The group argues on its website that “Only after [the Palestinians] acknowledge the defeat of their struggle against Israel will it be possible to negotiate the final settlement.” 

In 2022, before the national elections which resulted in the current (pre-war) government, the group paid for billboards in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv depicting Arab lawmakers wrapped in Israeli flags, with the caption “This is what a picture of victory will look like.”

Condemning “leaders like [Ahmed] Tibi and [Ayman] Odeh” as “pouring oil on the fire,” Gregg Roman, Director of the Middle East Forum, said that “the violence and the bloodshed will stop only when [Palestinians] have accepted that the war against Jewish sovereignty has ended.” 

For many years prior to the outbreak of this most recent war, the IVP has been advocating a “total elimination” of Hamas. In 2021, the group sponsored a billboard outside then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s house, reading “The nation demands victory!” Roman, speaking on the subject of Bennett’s inauguration, said that “the most important issue on the agenda should be to address restoring security for the citizens of Israel, and eliminating Hamas.” 

Respondents split on worst failure of Oct. 7

The poll also asked respondents “Which do you see as key mistakes leading to the catastrophic failure on Oct. 7?” With more than one answer permitted, 27% replied “A military that relies too much on defensive measures,” 29% replied “Poor intelligence capabilities,” 49% responded “Misconduct by the political echelon,” and 29% replied “The wrong ‘concept’ about Hamas.”

The poll was conducted by Shlomo Filber and Zuriel Sharon through Direct Polls Ltd on October 17, 2023. 1,086 Israeli adults were sampled with a statistical sampling error of 4.0%.

The US deployed more air defenses to the region, two weeks after also sending more aircraft carriers to the Eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran and Hezbollah.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is concerned about escalation in the region. US forces have been attacked six times in Iraq in a week and several times in Syria. Iran is mobilizing militias and threatening more attacks. Iran has openly threatened the US and Israel and mobilized its proxies against both countries. 

There were strong arguments for Israel starting its counter-invasion of Gaza as early as a few days after Hamas’ October 7 invasion of the South as well as delaying it to around a week after that event, but those same reasons being cited now are quickly becoming obsolete.

Many IDF commanders would have liked to invade Gaza already in the early days of the war, but there were definitely top IDF commanders at the time who were with the government's political echelon’s desire to delay.

An Israeli in his 60s was seriously wounded by a direct impact by a rocket in Netivot in southern Israel on Sunday afternoon, according to Magen David Adom.

Additional rocket impacts were reported in the area, with emergency services continuing searches to locate any injuries caused by the impacts.

Hezbollah announced that five of its members were killed as clashes between the terrorist movement and the IDF continued along the Israeli-Lebanese border on Sunday.

A member of the Syrian branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades was also killed amid the clashes along the border.

Hamas terrorists fired at IDF soldiers who had crossed past the Gaza border fence near Kissufim on Sunday afternoon, with an IDF tank returning fire at the terrorists, according to statements by the IDF and Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades.

The al-Qassam Brigades claimed that they ambushed Israeli armored vehicles which crossed a number of meters past the border fence, with the vehicles withdrawing back behind the fence.

This is a developing story.

An anti-tank missile was fired toward Kissufim near the border of the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon, according to initial reports.

This is a developing story.

Hezbollah has been increasing attacks on Israel in the last two weeks after Hamas carried out a massacre on October 7.

The Hezbollah attacks are a result of Iran’s desire to create a multi-front war in the Middle East. Hezbollah is willing to risk the civilian towns and villages in south Lebanon as it has in the past, to threaten Israel.

Similar to Hamas in Gaza this means it uses the civilian areas to hide its weapons and that it carries out attacks and then slips away into the rural civilian landscape.  

The Education Ministry is working to create a stable and safe wartime education system, Education Minister Yoav Kisch said in a briefing on Sunday.

"Our directive is security for students and staff above everything else as we go back to a state of emergency normal," he said. "The process is being done gradually and according to the needs of the staff and the abilities of the local authorities."

"If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will long for the Second Lebanon War," warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he visited Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers serving on the Lebanon border on Sunday. 

Netanyahu further warned Hezbollah against opening a second war front with Israel, saying that doing so would bring Israeli counter-strikes of "unimaginable" magnitude that would wreak "devastation" upon Lebanon.