IDF APCs on Gaza street
46 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza as of Wednesday Nov 14, 2023. Israel continues a slow and steady push into Gaza. This is the best approach, according to Gen. (ret) . Israel Zeev
The IDF is working well, said Zeev. The only problem is time.
Channel 12TV’s military correspondent Nir Dvori said that slow and steady approach limits the possibility of friendly fire and other mistakes.
Appearing on Channel 12TV MK (Knesset Member) Matan Kahane of the United Party, said that the coordination between the IDF ground forces and the air support allows a spotter to call in a strike on a target with an 18cm (7 inch) margin of error.
Channel 12TV’s Arab affairs reporter Ohad Hemo said that he didn’t see the immediate collapse of Hamas. He said that while Hamas had lost 70% of its ability to fight, and that many of the terrorists had fled underground, still there were the guerrillas who popped up from a tunnel opening, fired an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and dropped back down into the tunnel.
He also said that essentially Hamas was now blind, since they had no communications between those forces above the ground and those in the tunnels. He suspected that Hamas chief Yeheh Sinwar was still hiding somewhere in northern Gaza. But that the IDF controls over 40% of Gaza now and more territory is being captured every day.
Nir Dvori said that Hamas is no longer entering in a face to face fight with the IDF. “When they do that they get killed.” He said the Hamas military structure has been fractured, “They no longer have battalions and brigades fighting the IDF, now it is the individuals roaming around and opening fire.”
According to the IDF, prior to the war Hamas had 30,000 members of the military wing organized into 5 regional brigades, 24 battalions and about 140 companies. A number of the battalions, like the Shati battalion, have been destroyed, said a military analyst and most of members of the Dark Tutfah battalion
Israeli troops take Hamas parliament and government buildings
Israeli troops also took over the Hamas parliament building that according to sources once held session until 2018 with the Palestinian Authority sitting in the chamber. But the PA was defeated in an election and essentially pushed out of Gaza. The building was turned into Hamas
IDF spokesman Gen Hagari showing weapons in the Rentisi hospital
The IDF also took over the military police headquarters, and a university engineering faculty that was tasked with developing weapons and building bombs. The IDF found weapons and tunnels in a cement factory and other Hamas facilities near the government buildings.
Taking over the Gaza Parliament building and other official offices was a clear message to the residents of Gaza that Hamas was no longer in control. “It was like in Iraq when the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down,” said one analyst.
IDF spokesman showing tunnel shaft with electric lines from Rentisi hospital
Other observers dismissed Hamas claims that either the Rentisi or the Shifa hospitals were without supplies or electricity. “You have to remember,” said the observer, “Hamas has already proven that their lies work and are easily accepted. These claims that Israel is denying the patients care are lies. Hamas is a master at disinformation and psychological warfare.”
The IDF also seized the offices of Ayman Nofal, a Hamas brigade commander, who was killed in the fighting a week earlier.
However, Gen (ret.) Yossi Kupperwasser, former head of the research division in the Israel Defense Force Military Intelligence division and Director General of the Israel Ministry of Strategic Affairs told Channel 12TV that while we can give the impression that we’re close to a military victory, the truth is we are still facing a long war. Seizing the Hamas Parliament, said Kupberwasser, is just a symbol. But the most important thing is to get (Hamas leader) Sinwar. He is still down there, said Kupperwasser, but the fog of war keeps the public from knowing the plans to catch him.
Also, according to Nir Dvori of Channel 12TV, 90% of the tunnels beneath Gaza have been uncovered, but it will take time to destroy them.
According to the Jerusalem Post, part of the tunnel network included a special shaft with an elevator that did not merely go the conventional three to five meters underground that was the depth of many Hamas tunnels, but rather reached an almost unheard-of depth of 30 meters. The elevator could accommodate seven people.
This tunnel was also outfitted with oxygen, air conditioning, and even more advanced communications than other underground mini command centers.
Israel, according to experts, is not anxious to send soldiers into the tunnels to face Hamas fighters and the booby-traps laid for them. Slow and steady, is the method, clearing the tunnels and protecting IDF lives.
According to IDF Division 162 Commander Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, speaking to the Jerusalem Post, since the start of the invasion, divisional forces have killed over 1,000 Hamas terrorists and reduced rocket fire from northern Gaza at Israel by around 80%.”
The Jerusalem Post also reported that the IDF’s current strategy is to have troops march through Palestinian houses being bulldozed by IDF D9s, as opposed to using the main steets. This strategy was the key to avoiding Hamas boobytraps and ambushes which Hamas used during the 2014 Gaza conflict.
An eight-kilometer area leads into the center of Gaza City. This was where Hamas had hoped to damage the IDF so severely that the army would give up before arriving at the center.
Another key difference from 2014, according to Brig. Gen Cohen, is that this time the IDF wants to destroy all aspects of Hamas’s tunnel network, not just causing cave-ins in certain spots as the army did 2014. Destroying the tunnels completely will take time.
UPDATE
ISRAEL TAKES SHIFA HOSPITAL
Shifa hospital in Gaza
According to Ynetnews, the IDF said on Wednesday that forces were operating in a specific area of the Shifa hospital in Gaza. "We can confirm that incubators, baby food and medical supplies brought by IDF tanks from Israel have successfully reached the Shifa hospital. Our medical teams and Arabic speaking soldiers are on the ground to ensure that these supplies reach those in need," the military said in an announcement.
Reset Bet Kan radio reported that five terrorists were killed in an overnight firefight at the hospital, entrance. After a search weapons and tunnels were discovered. Reportedly, prior to the attack, the IDF contacted the Hamas health ministry and announced that troops would be invading the hospital and called on Hamas terrorists to surrender. The IDF sent a similar message through the Qatar based Al Jazeera TV station.
The IDF used tanks to breach the hospital, and operated only in a specific section. There was reportedly no friction between the Israeli soldiers and the patients. At this stage, there is no expectation that the operation will result in the rescue of hostages. In addition, as of Wednesday morning there were no casualties among the forces. The principle of operation in Shifa is similar to the entire maneuver: slow, focused and thorough work. Israeli soldiers are now stationed at the entrance and in the lobby of the hospital. Israel will now reportedly move onto aother of the 36 hospitals in Gaza.
North
The daily rocket launches from Lebanon continues with Israel responding to each attack. According to Ohad Hemo of Channel 12TV, Hezbollah head Nasrallah is a Lebanese patriot who is concerned with the needs and wishes of the Lebanese people. Hemo said that Nasrallah does not want to get into a war with Israel and is satisfied with keeping the fire just below the boiling point.
Nasrallah, said Hemo, knows the damage Israel inflicted on Lebanon in 2006 and is not in any hurry to have the same destruction let loose again on Lebanon.Nor be drawn into the war to help Hamas. Or listen to orders from Iran.
Even though Hezbollah has lost over 80 fighters, Israel has lost 8, including one worker for the Israel Electric company hit by a missile while repairing electric lines from a previous attack.
West Bank
According to the Times of Israel, a six member rocket squad was killed in Tulkarem by gunfire and a drone strike. 12 Palestinians were injured.
The IDF said that overnight, the soldiers uncovered hidden explosive devices, and questioned and detained wanted Palestinians. Footage showed armored bulldozers ripping up streets in the camp, where explosive devices were planted.
Since October 7, some 1,570 wanted Palestinians have been arrested across the West Bank, including more than 950 affiliated with Hamas.
Missiles
Missiles keep falling on Israel from the south and the north. But the number of missiles fired from Gaza has dropped precipitously. One simple explanation is that the IDF has driven Hamas further south and the missiles fired from there have not been able to reach as far as those fired from closer in in the north.
According to Gen (ret.) Zvika Haimovich, former commander of the IDS Air Defense Unit, interviewed in the Globes financial newspaper, Hamas has been firing the Fajar 5 rocket that has a range of 75 kilometers. Tel Aviv is 80 kilometers away, so harder to hit.
The IDF has kept pushing Hamas further south, making it harder for the rockets to hit the center of the country. According to Chaimovich, “Hamas daily fire capacity has decreased, and is much less accurate. More rockets are now falling in the sea.”
But, according to Yossi Drucker, a former executive at the Rafael company that developed the Iron Dome, also interviewed in Globes, there’s no reason to be euphoric. Drucker says that the R-160 rockets are able to hit Tel Aviv from southern Gaza.
Chaimovitch says that Hamas’ launch capability will not end soon. He says that Hamas probably started with 50,000 rockets and has used 10,000. He estimates the IDF destroyed 10,000 rockets. “That still means that Hamas can continue at this rate for another two or three months.”
On Tuesday, sirens again sounded in the Tel Aviv region. Two rockets fell in Tel Aviv, seriously injuring a 20-year old man, and lightly injuring two others, who had not gone into a shelter.
Much of this rocket fire is to unnerve the Israeli public, said Nir Dvori, military correspondent of Channel 12TV.
Another missile was fired from Yemen on Tuesday but taken down well before it reached Eilat by the Arrow missile system. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement, stated his willingness to participate in fighting Israel “to support the Palestinian people.” The strong man of Yemen has said he will continue to fight Israel and even attack Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
Hostages
Banner with hostages on street in Israel
According to Channel 11 TV, Israel’s head of the Mossad, Ronen Bar, was in Egypt meeting with Qatar representatives over a possible hostage swap for Hamas prisoners held by Israel.
US President Joe Biden was asked about the hostage question and he said that there was progress.
On Tuesday, the IDF released the news that Noa Marciano, 20, who was seen in a video four days after being taken hostage on Oct 7, was no longer alive.
Adi Marciano, mother of Noa, before news of her death
Pundits say that there is progress but that the government is not going to discuss the progress with the press.
Israel’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, told a press conference on Tuesday night that release of the hostages was a top priority. And that by pushing forward with the attack on Hamas in Gaza Israel was applying pressure on Hamas that would ultimately result in the release of the hostages.
However, families of the hostages were losing patience. A large group of families of the hostages began a five-day protest march from Tel Aviv to the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem. They called for a mass gathering of supporters in the Rose Garden opposite the Prime Minister’s office for Saturday night. They also encouraged any sympathizers to join them in the march.
Humanitarian aid
Over 140 trucks carrying humanitarian aid were brought into Gaza on Tuesday. Also, the IDF assembled medical aid and incubators for newborns in Gaza hospitals that were without them. Some newborns were reportedly taken to Tel HaShomer hospital inside Israel.
A military pundit pointed out that over the years it wasn’t unusual for Israel to treat children from Gaza in Israeli hospitals.
The IDF also delivered hundreds of liters of fuel in jerry cans to the Shifa hospital however Hamas reportedly threatened the hospital staff not to take the fuel.
The IDF also allowed Gazans to leave from the north to the south between the hours of 10:00 until 14:00. And even let the masses move along until 16:00. The IDF halted the fighting or bombing during this period.
Public Opinion
Pro-Israel “Free the Hostages” rally in Washington
According to Ynetnews, the largest Jewish rally ever held in the United States took place on Tuesday in Washington D.C.. Reportedly, close to 300,000 people came from all across the USA and even Canada to attend the rally.
However, there is still a strong pro-Palestinian movement. According to the New York Times, 900 chefs, farmers and others in the American food business have signed a pledge to boycott Israel-based food businesses as a way to apply pressure to stop the Israeli military campaign in Gaza..
While the impetus for the pledge was organized by Hospitality for Humanity, a group of Palestinian chefs and political organizers, among the signatories are Helen Rosener of the New Yorker magazine, and Paradoxically, two of the women behind the petition are Jewish, one born in Israel.
To Ari Ariel, author of “The Hummus Wars” the issue arose in 2009 when Lebanon accused Israel of selling Hummus as Israeli. Some supporters of Palestine argue that Israeli cooks are colonizers who have adopted certain Arabic dishes as their own, and thus contribute to the erasure of Palestinian culture.
Pro-Palestinian protest in downtown Chicago
In Chicago, over 100 people in a pro-Palestinian protesters against the war in Gaza tried to block the entrance to the Israel consul. Scores of protesters were arrested.
Politics
A new flap in Israel, this time over secret documents, not unlike that seen when Donald Trump allegedly took documents home illegally. Reportedly, transcripts from the protocols of a cabinet meeting discussing who knew what when on Oct 7th were taken from the Knesset and sent to the Prime Minister’s office.
Some observers think the purpose was to delete sections that would implicate Prime Minister Netanyahu in any investigation into the background of the Hamas invasion on Oct 7th.
Israel’s attorney general Gali Baharav-Miera has called for the documents to be brought to her office immediately.
Dana Weiss, a reporter for Channel 12TV, said that at a time like this when everyone should be focused on the war the last thing that should be on anyone’s mind is politics. She said that former Likud activist were trying to get back in the good graces of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and others, like Shas party chief Aryeh Deri, who were focused on politics rather than the important matters associated with the war.
The latest polls show that Netanyahu’s Likud party would only garner 18 seats should the elections be held today, a drop of nearly 50%.
The government has also been beset with how to finance the war. Discussions have been held with the finance ministry to cut the supplementary funds that were to go to the ultra-Orthodox parties, and to the settlements, and put that money into the military. Those who were to benefit from the largess were against the move.
Gen (ret) Giora Eiland, former head of military intelligence, said that the 2024 budget should have an itemized account of exactly what the military needed to defend Israel against any future incursions, and not wait the suggested several months before the discussions on the budget are scheduled to begin.“It should be done now,” he said.
Economy
According to the Israeli daily Globes Financial news, the Israeli treasury “recently estimated that the cost of the war to the state coffers could reach NIS 200 billion.” (about $53 billion).
The war in Gaza is costing Israel approximately $250 million per day.Construction is at a standstill. Most of the construction workers come from Gaza or the West Bank. Many stores in the north and south of the country are closed.
Universities announced they would not reopen until Dec 24th, but colleges said they would open soon. One pundit said that many of those now serving in the army are involved in fighting Hamas. Hopefully, said the pundit, most of the fighting will be over by the end of the year allowing those enrolled in university to return to those studies.
According to Globes, Israel could recoup the cost of the war when the war is over. Business will rebound. And once reconstruction of Gaza gets underway, according to the news source, building materials, equipment and services will be required for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and most of them will be produced or supplied through Israel…even the fuel purchased with Qatari money will be supplied by Israeli refineries.
Weather
Israel has its first rainstorm on Tuesday flooding roads and turning fields to mud.
Reportedly, Gaza’s beaches and fields near the sea were muddy but, according to Channel 12TV’s Nir Dvori, “The urban areas where the IDF is fighting will not be affected.”