Israel at War: What happened on Day 64?

Hamas terrorists fired rockets toward Israel from the designated humanitarian zone on Friday evening around 6:00 p.m. IST, the IDF said on Saturday afternoon.

The IDF added that the terror organization had also launched a sum of four other rockets in the preceding hours from the humanitarian zone.

These earlier rockets reportedly landed within the Gaza Strip.

In recent days, the IDF has made numerous discoveries of weapons and infrastructure in civilian areas and items that it points to as evidence that Hamas uses civilian areas to conduct its activities.

Earlier on Saturday, the IDF reported that it had found a teddy bear packed with ammunition and a hidden sniper rifle.

Hamas rocket launches from the humanitarian zone of the Gaza Strip. December 8, 2023. (credit: IDF)

Nahal Brigade kills Hamas fighters in Jabalya

Soldiers of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion engaged Hamas terrorists in the northern Gazan city of Jabalya, the IDF stated on Sunday.

During operations in the area, the Nahal Brigade soldiers received intelligence indicating Hamas fighters and weapons were present in structures nearby, the IDF said.

The IDF troops subsequently initiated a precision strike on those locations.

The Israeli military added that Hamas terrorists had attempted to stage an ambush on the Israeli troops located in the vicinity, but were foiled by an IDF flanking maneuver through an alley, catching the terrorists unprepared.

Hamas fighters reportedly returned fire and threw grenades at the Israeli forces, and the ensuing firefight continued until the Hamas forces were eliminated. 

In recent days, engagements between IDF troops and Hamas terrorists have occurred within the same vicinity, the IDF noted, with more Hamas fighters being eliminated by the 931st Battalion who managed to locate Hamas weaponry and infrastructure in the area. 

Other terrorists in the area have also been recently killed by IDF tank fire and IAF UAVs, the army said.

IDF troops involved in a failed hostage rescue operation in the Gaza Strip were severely wounded on Friday night.

Special Forces raided a known Hamas compound and eliminated terrorists who took part in the kidnapping and holding of the hostages. 

Intelligence led to a daring operation to rescue hostages in the Gaza Strip, who were ultimately not found at the location.

The families of the wounded soldiers have been informed.

Members of the South Yamas special forces counterterrorism unit seen near the southern Israeli city of Sderot, not far from the Israeli-Gaza border, October 16, 2023 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

"The IDF continues to operate in a variety of operational and intelligence ways, together with the other security organizations, to free the abductees and the abductees, and gather information about them," an IDF spokesperson said.

"The terrorist organization Hamas is trying and will try to produce psychological terror. Spreading unverified rumors and facts should be avoided."

Hamas confirms the operation's failure

According to a Hamas announcement, special forces were discovered during the operation and there was an exchange of fire.

A Hamas statement published this morning stated that military aircraft "intervened and bombed the location". Hamas also claimed that they obtained a rifle belonging to one of the soldiers and a special forces radio, but these claims have not been verified, according to N12.

The IDF struck a terror cell in Lebanon after it identified terrorists operating an anti-tank missile launching post on Friday, the IDF said.

According to the Israeli military, the launching post had been used in the previous hours to fire rockets into Israel.

Earlier today, IDF aircraft struck several Hezbollah targets which included terrorist infrastructure.

Several launches from Lebanese territory toward Israel were detected, and the IDF responded to the sources of fire with artillery.