Israel at war: What happened on day 25?

IDF forces under the command of the Givati ​​Brigade took control over a Hamas military stronghold in western Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, a military spokesperson said.

Approximately 50 terrorists were killed by Israeli forces. Furthermore, Israeli fighter jets, under Shin Bet intelligence, eliminated Ebrahim Biari, the commander of Hamas's Jabalia battalion, and was one of the leaders of the October 7 massacre. 

Satellite photos published by the New York Times on Tuesday show Israeli tanks have reached Al-Bahr Boulevard in Gaza, a large street that runs across Gaza from the beach toward Jabalia.

Extensive piece by @Josh_H et al. @nytimes analysing satellite imagery taken today of Gaza.

"A Detailed Satellite View of Israel’s Invasion" https://t.co/lsYwwMXRJa https://t.co/RXOSCMgUSX pic.twitter.com/E3hlJPQdcW

— Will Marshall (@Will4Planet) October 31, 2023

Scale of Israel's advancement

The important junction of Bahr and Rashid streets is not overlooked by the IDF, according to the photos. Rashid is a major street that runs north-south. Rashid begins around one kilometer south of the border and runs all the way south, passing Shati camp and the Gaza port before heading to the southern area of the Gaza Strip. As the street arrives at the junction with Bahr and heads south there are a number of small hotels and “chalets” that people can stay at on the beach.  

The Times report says that “satellite imagery taken Monday morning shows the substantial scale of one of Israel’s main advances into northern Gaza, where hundreds of armored vehicles have pushed miles past the border into urban areas on the outskirts of Gaza City.” Al-Ain media in the Gulf also reported about the photos, saying they are a “silent witness” to Israel’s advance.

They also show evidence of airstrikes and artillery bombardment the reports say. Yesterday a report at Al-Ain also said photos and video from Gaza had shown Israeli forces had reached Salah al-Din Street, another important north-south thoroughfare. This puts Israeli forces south of Gaza City and now also northwest of Gaza City on the beach.  

Satellite photos are increasingly a way for analysts and news organizations to track a conflict when on-the-ground reports are absent.  

Nearly one-third of Lebanese citizens favor joining Hamas in war against Israel, according to new polling data on Lebanese attitudes toward the war in Israel. The results were published in the Beirut-based Lebanese news organization Al Akhbar on Monday.

The survey was conducted by the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation.

The poll found broad support for the Hamas terror operation “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” Of the 400 individuals polled, a group consisting of 194 women and 206 men, 80% supported the operation.

Additionally, the survey asked respondents what they believed Lebanon should do “in the face of the Israeli aggression on Gaza?”

The overwhelming majority, 77%, responded in favor of “political, media, and popular condemnation.”

A man looks on, as Hezbollah supporters protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Beirut, Lebanon, October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky

Aggressive measures Lebanon could pursue against Israel

Many, however, were also in favor of additional, more aggressive measures.

Over half, 52%, of respondents supported engaging Israel in operations at the border, as Hezbollah has been doing. 

Further, nearly a third of survey respondents, 32%, were in favor of opening the southern front, Israel’s northern front, and joining Hamas in battle against the Jewish State.

There were, though, differences in attitude between the various religious and ethnic groups polled.

For instance, regarding support for “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” while it received support from 98% of Lebanese Shia Muslims, support decreased to 86% among Lebanese Sunni Muslims and Druze respectively.

Among Christians, support for the operation fell to 60%.

Similarly, the group who wished to condemn Israel was comprised of 97% of Shia respondents, 84% of Sunni respondents, 55% of Christian respondents, and 75% of Druze respondents.

Also, there were significant differences between the groups concerning support for “immediately opening the southern front.” 

This option was supported by half of the Shia, roughly a third of the Sunni, 40% of the Druze, and around 13% of the Christian respondents.

Concerning which party was responsible for the escalation of the conflict in the region, a larger portion of respondents blamed the US than blamed Israel.

Nearly half, 47%, of respondents blamed the US compared to 34% who blamed Israel. Another 13% blamed Iran and 5% blamed Hamas.

The publication of the survey results coincided with a day of exchanges of fire between Israel and terrorist groups in Lebanon.

On Monday, repeated rocket launches from Lebanese territory aimed at Israeli communities and IDF positions drew a series of subsequent IDF responses targeting the source of the fire.

During the day Hezbollah said that one of its members had been killed by Israeli strikes.

Kuwait's crown prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah said on Tuesday that his country condemns Israeli "aggression" on Gaza and called for a ceasefire.

Al-Sabah was addressing the parliament on behalf of the Emir in the opening of the parliament regular second session.

The number of hostages being held in Gaza has risen to 240, the IDF announced on Tuesday morning.

This is a developing story. 

Three rockets that were fired into Israel by Hamas fell in the vicinity one of the kibbutzim of the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, the council announced on Tuesday morning.

No injuries were reported, but several cows were harmed by shrapnel.

Israel continued ground operations overnight on the twenty-fifth day of the war against Hamas. The IDF said that it had struck 300 targets overnight. This included anti-tank missile launch sites, rocket launch posts, and “military compounds inside underground tunnels belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.” 

The IDF said that soldiers had several clashes with “terrorist cells” that fired anti-tank missiles and used machine guns.

“The soldiers killed terrorists and directed air forces to real-time strikes on targets and terror infrastructure,” the army explained.

Hamas commander eliminated

In addition, the IDF and Shin Bet killed the commander of Hamas's Beit Lahia battalion. “IDF fighter jets struck the Commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion of Hamas's Northern Brigade, Nasim Abu Ajina, who directed the massacre on October 7th in the Kibbutz Erez and Moshav Netiv HaAsara,” the report from the IDF said. 

According to the IDF statement, this terrorist was also involved with Hamas’ “aerial array” and had been involved with developing drone and paragliding capabilities.

Naseem Abu Ajina (credit: IDF)

Hamas has increasingly sought to use drones in the last several years. “His elimination significantly harms the efforts of the Hamas terrorist organization to disrupt the IDF's ground activities.” Beit Lahia is a town in Gaza north of Gaza City near the border with Israel. It is around 2km from Netiv HaAsara.

Netiv HaAsara is an Israeli community that was targeted on October 7. More than 15 people were killed there. 

Over the last several days Israel has expanded operations in Gaza. For instance, on Monday Israel said it had carried out 600 strikes on targets over the previous several days. In addition, IDF ground forces are working closely with the air force to direct strikes. The IDF said yesterday that there were 150 of these strikes coordinated closely with ground forces.

Foreign media reports in Arabic media continue to discuss the extent of Israel’s operations in Gaza and the advance into areas north of Gaza City among other areas. For example, Al-Ain media in the Gulf discussed the degree to which forces have penetrated along the beach south of Zikim.  

The Hamas commander who orchestrated the attacks on Erez and Netiv Ha’asara during the deadly Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7 has been eliminated, the IDF and Shin Bet said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Naseem Abu Ajina was the commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion in Hamas's Northern Division.

Previously, Ajina had commanded Hamas's aerial capabilities and had been involved in developing the terror organization's drones and UAV capabilities.

Israeli soldier around the destruction caused by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, October 30, 2023 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The statement noted that Ajina's elimination has dealt a significant blow to Hamas's ability to disrupt the IDF's operations on the ground.

Hundreds of Hamas military targets were destroyed and terrorists killed by the IDF over the past 24 hours, the IDF announced on Tuesday morning.

Some 300 targets were attacked, including anti-tank missile and rocket-launching positions, Hamas tunnels, and military installations, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced.

Three Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of having connections with ISIS, Israel Police and the Shin Bet said on Tuesday morning.

The citizens, residents of Sakhnin and Arrabe, neighboring towns in the Lower Galilee, were suspected of planning activities posing security risks amid the ongoing conflict.