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%.

Israel should not re-occupy the Gaza Strip, and should make sure Palestinians still rule the area, Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) and other former top defense officials said in its recommendations for how Israel should handle Gaza post-toppling Hamas.

In contrast, several officials familiar with government deliberations on the issues are far more circumspect about sharing their views, and about whether a serious strategy can be framed, before the outcome of the ground invasion (which continues to be delayed) becomes clearer.

More than 4,741 Palestinians killed and 15,898 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday.

The IDF released a video on Sunday documenting the horrific acts of massacre by Hamas on October 7.

Israel has been waging an information war to influence public opinion worldwide. The video, which had been posted on the IDF's YouTube channel, warned viewers of the graphic content but did not withhold these images.

Some parts of the video were filmed by the terrorists themselves, while others were captured on security cameras located at intersections and in kibbutzim.

Most government ministries haven't been functioning in the last two weeks since Israel's war with Hamas broke out, charged Federation of Local Authorities in Israel chairman Haim Bibas on Saturday night.

"There's the Defense Ministry with whom we've been communicating, there's the Welfare and Social Services Ministry that from the beginning has worked mainly with families of murdered and missing people and everything around that, the Tourism Ministry is a little involved with evacuation, and that's it," he told N12.

"The rest have disappeared."

According to the Saudi Arabian news outlet Al-Arabiya, 17 aid trucks entered through the Rafah crossing on Sunday into the Gaza Strip, Walla reported.

This is a developing story.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sunday with retired general and former Commissioner of Soldier's Complaints, Itzhak Brik, who is also well-known for his longstanding criticisms of the IDF's preparedness, according to Walla. 

During their discussion, Barik criticized the higher ups in the military for the oversight leading to the October 7 massacre. He demanded accountability, insisting on immediate resignations within the military ranks and calling for a comprehensive review of the IDF's current strategies.

The Prime Minister's Office has yet to release an official statement following the consultation.

The IDF and the Shin Bet eliminated a senior member of Hamas's general artillery network, the Israeli organizations announced in a joint statement.

Muhammad Katamash was killed in an Israeli airstrike and was responsible for the firing of thousands of rockets at Israel.

Thanks to his powerful position, Katamash was a significant member of the planning and execution of the Hamas's attacks against Israel.

IDF continues air attack

The IDF continues to attack several targets of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the morning hours, among the targets attacked were the head of a rocket firing squad and several other operatives. In addition, a weapons production site and a military headquarters of the terrorist organization Hamas were attacked.

Israel's air force has carried out hundreds of strikes on the Strip since the October 7 Hamas massacre, when thousands of terrorists crossed the border and infiltrated Israeli communities and IDF bases near the border, killing over 1,400 Israelis and kidnapping 212 people. 

Approximately 750,000 Gazan residents are moving to safer grounds in southern Gaza, amid indications that Hamas's control over the northern and central regions of the territory is waning, according to N12. The IDF has been dropping leaflets advising residents not to get caught up in the conflict and to leave for safer areas.

Human shields are a growing concern for Israel, with reports stating that Hamas plans to use the remaining 350,000 residents in the northern part of Gaza as shields, in a bid to forestall a ground invasion and offset ongoing air raids. 

Preparations for a potential ground invasion are underway, with IDF forces targeting strategic Hamas infrastructures. High-rises, suspected to house command centers, have been demolished, necessitating additional precautions against sniper threats from elevated positions. 

A convoy of Israeli tanks at sunset near the southern Israeli border with Gaza, October 12, 2023. (photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Chances of a multi-front war

In the past few days, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi met with ground forces that are camped outside Gaza ahead of any possible ground invasion, and the soldiers are currently completing operative tasks, exercises and preparing in terms of equipment for the next stage.

On the northern front, the IDF continues to carry out reprisals for attacks from Hezbollah, which continues to fire mainly anti-tank missiles at Israeli outposts and settlements. There are fears that the growing threat from Hezbollah will lead to a multi-front war for the IDF. 

On Sunday, Israel evacuated 14 additional communities near the northern border in response to increasing threats by Hezbollah. The Lebanese-based terrorist group has been carrying out attacks using anti-tank missiles, rockets, mortars, and small arms fire in the last two weeks.

Israel evacuated 28 communities on October 16 and last week it also announced the evacuation of the city of Kiryat Shmona.

The government agreed to shut down the Public Diplomacy Ministry in a telephone survey on Sunday after former minister Galit Distal-Atbaryan resigned on October 12.

The ministry's budget, which stood at NIS 23.8 million will now be used for a fund to help rehabilitate the towns near the Gaza border that were hit by Hamas's massive October 7 attack.

The Public Diplomacy Ministry was opened at the beginning of this year for the first time since 1975 and was in charge of hasbara (explaining) in Israel and abroad.

Galit Distal Atbaryan (credit: GALIT DISTAL ATBARYAN/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

An unneeded resource

However, when Distal-Atbaryan resigned, she said it was because her ministry was redundant as the Diaspora Affairs Ministry was made responsible for Israel's hasbara alongside the Foreign Ministry.

She added that her budget was wasted on a ministry whose duties were already being carried out by one with far more resources and had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to instead use her budget to help Israeli residents in the South.

The Public Diplomacy Ministry had been one of 31 ministries that make up the current government compared to 28 ministries in the last government.

The Movement for Quality of Government (MQG) welcomed the closure of what it called an unnecessary ministry.

"The Public Diplomacy Ministry is only the tip of the iceberg of government ministries with high budgets and no substance that were opened hastily and carelessly as part of coalition negotiations," said the movement. "MQG called on the government ministers to enlist for the good of the public, immediately cancel the unnecessary ministries, and reroute their budgets to the war effort and the rehabilitation of the residents near Gaza and the northern border."