On Saturday 7 October 2023, the religious holiday of Simhat Torah, in an act of war, approximately two thousand terrorists from the Gaza Strip infiltrated Israel by land, sea and air at several locations and advanced towards Israeli communities and population centers. This was carried out in conjunction with indiscriminate rocket fire targeting towns and cities in the south, the center of the country, and Jerusalem with the intent of maximizing harm to civilians.

The terrorists penetrated several southern settlements and began a murderous killing spree of families and individuals in their homes, in the streets and at a music festival that was being held in the area. The terrorists rampaged throughout the region for many hours, during which time they committed atrocities on a scale that have not been seen since the events of the ISIS massacre in Sinjar in 2014.

The evidence found on the ground, the documentation caught on camera by the terrorists themselves and by security cameras, survivors and other sources, as well as survivors’ testimonies, document a horrendous story of attackers devoid of any shred of humanity. Families were slaughtered in their beds, women were viciously raped, and innocent civilians were maimed, killed and in some instances beheaded. In addition, civilians were burnt alive, babies were butchered, and hundreds of men and women were viciously gunned down while simply dancing at a music festival. Upon their return to the Gaza Strip, the terrorists abducted everyone they happened upon - with an emphasis on families, women and children.

Over two hundred Israeli citizens have been abducted and are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including small children, women and the elderly. Many of the abductees were injured by Hamas terrorists, many of them need medical treatment and medication, and the condition of many of the abductees is unknown. This is a serious humanitarian crisis and a very fundamental violation of international law, and Israel expects the international community to act in every possible way to protect the rights of the abductees, to ensure proper medical treatment and to provide humanitarian aid to the abductees and their families..

Over the past few days, anti-tank missiles and mortar shells were fired from Lebanese territory at IDF positions on the Lebanese border while terrorists, under the auspices of Hezbollah, attempted to infiltrate Israel. 

This means that Israel is at war against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Israel security forces are determined to protect the citizens of Israel on all fronts. The IDF will protect the residents of the State of Israel; the Hamas terror organization and all the terrorists involved in harming the citizens of Israel will pay a very heavy price.

The displacement of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes in the communities around the Gaza Strip in the wake of the terrorist attack that destroyed their homes and the ongoing rocket fire, and from the northern border communities following the ongoing attacks by Hezbollah on border villages, is posing a significant challenge to Israel. This displacement has intensified the challenging situation in which the survivors of the Hamas massacre in the villages and towns surrounding the Gaza Strip find themselves.

Iran bears direct responsibility for the capabilities of its proxies in the region and therefore also for the use they make of these capabilities.
Additionally, Iran promotes attacks on Israel form other fronts – Lebanon and Syria to the north, using Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, and from the south using the Houthis, Iran’s proxy in Yemen. This is reflected in the firing of missiles, rockets and mortar shells from the north and the launching of missiles and UAVs towards Israel from the south. 
Israel has no wish to expand the fighting into other regions but is ready for such developments and will retaliate fiercely and forcefully. The expansion of the arena of fighting against Israel will be met with a particularly harsh response.

Murdered and missing foreign nationals

 The casualty toll in Israel currently (19 November) stands at over 1,200 people murdered and over 8,900 wounded have been evacuated to hospitals. (These figures are not final and may be updated from time to time). There are 33 minors under the age of 17 and 25 people over the age of 80 among the murder victims. 304 murdered victims hold foreign citizenship, as do 6 of the missing (including dual citizenship).

237 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip, in addition to the 4 abductees held by Hamas prior to October 7th. 43 of the abductees are minors – of these, there are ten babies less than 5 years old. 18 of the abductees are over the age of 75 and 26 of the abductees hold foreign citizenship (including dual).  

Over 10,500 rockets and missiles were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, aiming to hit cities and other civilian centers. Out of those, over 1,300 landed short and fell within the Gaza Strip, hitting – among other targets – hospitals, and schools. 

·         Hamas is holding the captives in complete denial of their rights and in violation of international law.  

·         Israel demands that the Red Cross be permitted to visit abductees and supply medicine and medical treatment and expects the Red Cross and the international community to take measures to ensure their safety and to work for their release.

·         Approximately 250 thousand Israelis have so far been displaced from their homes in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip and the northern border and dispersed in various shelters throughout Israel.

Houthi forces, operating from Yemen under Iranian supervision, hijacked (19.11) a British-owned cargo ship carrying an international crew (with no Israelis) near the coast of Yemen, while it was on its way from Turkey to India, this following their threats that they would attack ‘Israeli’ vessels. 

IDF forces continue to operate at Shifa Hospital, while making great efforts to prevent any damage to medical staff and civilians in the hospital. Significant amounts of weapons and ammunition, as well as many other artifacts indicating the wide use Hamas made of the hospital, were uncovered. Yesterday (19 November) the IDF spokesperson revealed footage showing Hamas’ terrorists bringing two hostages – a Nepali citizen and a Thai citizen – into the hospital on October 7th. 

WATCH:IDF forces transferring medical supplies and equipment to Shifa Hospital in the GazaStrip.

Hamas use of hospitals as terror centers

For years, the Hamas terrorist organization has systematically placed terror infrastructure in sensitive civilian areas such as schools, kindergartens, and mosques.
This military infrastructure includes terror tunnels, hideouts for terrorists, command and control centers used to direct attacks, rocket and anti-tank missile launching posts and weapons storage facilities.

The terror infrastructure is placed in these areas in order to use the civilians of Gaza as “human shields” and “protective vests” for Hamas terrorists, in blatant violation of international law.

Hospitals are Hamas’ favorite and central sites in the Gaza Strip to use for terrorist activities. The use of hospitals for terror purposes is one of Hamas’ core operating methods. For years, Hamas formed a system for the optimal exploitation of hospital areas for its terror purposes across the Gaza Strip.

The terror infrastructure in the hospitals is meant to ensure optimal protection for Hamas terrorists during times of war, by taking advantage of the IDF's commitment to the laws of armed conflict and avoidance of carrying out significant strikes on locations of this type.

IDF soldiers operating around different hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip found a consistent and systematic method of operation, which has been documented:

·         Above ground, on the floors of the hospitals themselves, alongside the normal wards that exist in every hospital, the terrorist organization stores weapons and military equipment. Among the weapons found in the hospitals were: grenades, explosive devices and RPGs. Senior Hamas terrorists stay in hospitals during times of war, even using ICU wards where they are disguised as "patients" or medical staff.

·         In the basements of the hospitals, on the underground floors, next to offices and normal services as in any hospital, are exits connecting to underground operational infrastructure and Hamas command and control centers, communication infrastructure and technological equipment.

·         Beneath the hospital complex is an underground network of terrorist tunnels leading from the hospital to nearby terrorist assets.

·         In the area of the hospitals, the IDF has discovered vehicles loaded with weapons, including at the Shifa Hospital, as well as operational tunnels under the hospitals designed to ambush IDF soldiers. In addition, Hamas deliberately embedded terrorist infrastructure near the hospitals, with the understanding that Israel would try to avoid targeting these locations since that could be portrayed as a strike on the hospitals themselves.

Examples of Hospital Exploitation

·         The Shifa Hospital: the hospital buildings were used as emergency assets for the ops rooms of the Hamas Gaza City Brigade. Additionally, during fighting, weapons and other means were taken to the underground floors of the hospital. During IDF operations, large amounts of weapons were found in the MRI building in the hospital complex. Additionally, an operational tunnel shaft was located that contains a large cache of weapons and is currently being investigated. In the cardiology ward, a weapons storage unit was found along with weapons and an interrogation room. Explosives were located in the physiotherapy ward, and explosive and communications devices were found in the Qatari building of the hospital. Additionally, evidence that hostages were kept in the hospital was released this week.

·         The Rantisi Hospital: the hospital is used to transfer weapons. The Rantisi Hospital is also Hamas’ headquarters in the area, used to direct military activities including ambushes and offensive attacks, and also serves as a hideout for senior Hamas operatives. A Hamas operational tunnel shaft was found in the hospital along with many weapons and evidence that hostages were held in the hospital.

From inpatient wards to the hospital basements: This is how Hamas turned Gaza hospitals into terror centers - IDF minisite

Following Foreign Minister Cohen’s visit to Geneva (14 November) and his meetings with the ICRC President and with the WHO Director, the Minister held a briefing with some 70 ambassadors to the UN Agencies in Geneva, together with representatives of the families of the abductees. 

ⒸYair Rotem

Representatives of the families of the abductees meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, 22 Nov.

Representatives of the families of the Israeli abductees in Gaza met this morning (Wednesday, 23 November 2023) at the Vatican with Pope Francis. The families asked the Pope to issue a clear call for the release of all the abductees held by Hamas. The Pope emphasized that he would do everything in his power to help. Yesterday (21 November) the families of the abductees met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and with Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano, who expressed support and solidarity with the families and called for the immediate release of all the abductees in Gaza.

Background

In a manner evocative of ISIS, terror organizations in the Gaza Strip initiated a deadly and barbaric attack on Israeli settlements, villages and population centers in the early hours of Saturday, 7 October. By launching this attack with no legitimate pretext or provocative prior action on the part of Israel, the terrorist organizations have revealed their true face of evil. These are bloodthirsty and uncontrollable groups, devoid of any moral inhibitions, that are motivated by hatred and the desire to hurt Israeli citizens in every way, and to bring about the destruction of the State of Israel. 

Hamas is not interested in the safety or well-being of civilians in the Gaza Strip and views them as nothing more than pawns to be exploited in its efforts to harm the citizens of Israel. This is verified the by the failed launching of a rocket on 17 October, which hit the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza, reportedly killing many Palestinians. 

Indoctrinated from an early age to hate, the terrorists were raised with constant exposure to incessant incitement to murder Israelis, incitement that also includes the encouragement of terrorism, the glorification of terrorists, and the compensation of assailants and their families. 

Israel is at war with the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is the ruler of the Gaza Strip, controlling all aspects of life there. It is behind this attack, and it will be held accountable for the results of these events. Hamas’ leadership bears full responsibility for the current deterioration and for the actions Israel must take in response. Israel will do everything necessary to protect its citizens and its territory.