Operation Iron Swords - Day 223 - 16 May 2024

“At any point, Hamas could have ended this burgeoning tragedy to
surrender and release every hostage. …
Hamas instigated and owns this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)

Contents

NEW - War Termination NEW - Operations NEW - Operations - Gaza NEW - Operations - Judea-Samaria NEW - Operations - Lebanon NEW - Operations - Syria / Iraq NEW - Operations - Yemen UPDATED - Operations Maps NEW - By-Standers NEW - Axis of Resistance NEW - Allied for Democracy UPDATED - By the Numbers

Five IDF soldiers were mistakenly killed by tank fire in Jabalia. The tank crews fired at a building they thought harbored terrorists, but instead was the field headquarters of the deputy commander of the Paratroopers' 202nd Battalion. The names of five IDF martyrs whose families have been notified were allowed to be published. The IDF spokesperson said : "With great pain, we sent a message today to the families of the soldiers Captain Roi Beit Ya'akov, First Sergeant Gilad Aryeh Boim, First Sergeant Bezalel Shashua, Sergeant Daniel Hamo and Sergeant Ilan Cohen to bless their memory for their fall during the fighting in Jabaliya." In the incident in which the late Capt. Roi Beit Ya'akov, the late Sgt. Gilad Aryeh Boim, the late Sgt. Bezalel Shashua, the late Sgt. Daniel Hamo and the late Sgt. Ilan Cohen fell, three soldiers from Battalion 202 in the Parachute Brigade were seriously injured. The fighters were evacuated for medical treatment and their families were informed.

The connection of the floating dock in the Gaza Strip has been completed. In recent weeks, the IDF and the Ministry of Defense have made extensive preparations for the reception of the floating dock. Preparations were made in recent weeks by the Engineering and Construction Division of the Ministry of Defense, the Southern Command's engineering array, the 563rd Construction Division, the Navy, the Technology and Logistics Division, the Coordinator of Government Operations in the Territories and in cooperation with the US Army. The IDF, through the Israel Defense Forces, has an ongoing humanitarian effort and works in cooperation with the US Central Command to establish the floating dock for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.

The dock will initially handle 90 trucks per day, but this number may then reach 150 trucks. Once it reaches land, American aid will travel a difficult and uncertain path to reach civilians in the Strip. The project consists of a temporary floating seaport that allows large ships, whether military or civilian, to dock there to unload their cargo and transfer it to smaller ships that can deliver this aid to a sea dock connected to the coast.

The floating dock is one component of the JLOTS (joint logistics over-the-shore) system, which will provide a stable space to transfer aid to smaller ships that can reach shore. According to the Pentagon, the “Logistics Services onshore” system, which is known for short as “GLOTUS,” consists of three basic parts: a floating dock, a two-lane bridge that can be connected to the beach, and its length is about 550 meters, a group of logistical support ships, which will allow aid ships to be received and transported to land.

The "GLOTUS" system is adopted by the US Army in order to deliver troops and supplies to dynamic areas such as island chains, allowing the delivery and unloading of equipment, allowing choice of place and time, and allowing military planners to reduce expected congestion in the various ports, according to their website. The United States has used the GLOTUS floating dock system in several countries in times of relief and need to provide them with humanitarian aid over the past years.

The plan announced by US President Joe Biden in March stated that the aid would be shipped from Cyprus, where Israel would first inspect the shipments. The operations will not include the landing of American forces on the beach in the Gaza Strip. Instead, US and UN officials say, a third party will pick up the aid from the dock, transport it a short distance, then unload it into UN custody. A United Nations official said that another third party, contracted by the international organization, will load the aid onto trucks and transport it to distribution points throughout the Gaza Strip.

The United Nations official said that there is a plan to have employees from the international organization near the pier to supervise the process of transporting aid and directing it to distribution points throughout the sector, but the United Nations Department of Safety and Security has not yet approved this plan. A United Nations team visiting the dock site late last month was forced to take cover after the area came under gunfire. The United Nations has concerns about the ability to ensure neutrality by remaining at an appropriate distance from the Israeli army, which will provide security and logistical support for the pier.

The UN official confirmed that the matter would not include communication “at any time” between the Israeli army and UN employees. US authorities said earlier that the dock aims to complement current aid deliveries across the ground and not replace them. UN data indicates that ground deliveries have risen slightly in recent weeks but are still far short of the massive needs in the sector.

The majority of this aid will be food collected from several countries and transported to the port of Larnaca in Cyprus. The approximately 250-mile journey from Cyprus to Gaza usually takes about 15 hours, or a full day of travel, but can take up to two days depending on the weight of the shipment and the type of ship.

There is no international seaport in Gaza, and Israel has prevented the construction of one for decades. Because the nearshore waters are too shallow for large ships to approach the humanitarian pier directly, the United States is also building a floating platform two miles from the coast, where ships carrying aid will unload their cargo first. The Gaza Strip is suffering from a very serious humanitarian crisis resulting from the war that has been going on for more than six months between Israel and Hamas, and its residents need aid to continue.

War Termination

The full data of a survey by News 12 asked what the solution should be in the Gaza Strip. 40% of the respondents answered that there should be Israeli military rule, and on the other hand 40% chose the control of Palestinian elements with the backing of Arab countries. 20% answered that they do not know.

Maj. Gen. (Rest.) Amos Yadlin stated: "Regarding the war that has been going on for over seven months - the "absolute victory" approach is no longer relevant. The war goals set in October - are far from being achieved, and the war that has expanded to the North and Iran requires updating goals. The strategy established in October leads us to a partial victory in the war and not to victory. Therefore, it is correct to update the strategy and set goals in light of the changing arena of war and understanding the limitations of power in a way that will allow strengthening Israeli power against Hamas and against long-term challenges in the regional and international arena.

"The first and immediate thing that should be done: setting the Shabbat target of the abductees as a leading target . This is a supreme moral duty, the realization of which will also contribute to national strength. At the same time, Israel should act to deter Iran from taking direct action against it, and prevent a breach of its military nuclear capability, through a regional and international coalition led by the US. In addition, continue striving to dismantle the military, organizational and governmental capabilities of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Strip - but this must be done at the same time as promoting an alternative to its rule .

"The goal of the current victory - Hamas cannot carry out an attack in the style of October 7th, the return of all the abductees and the return of the residents to the south and the north. "In the northern sector, if a political settlement is not reached, Israel will have to act to mobilize American support for military activity against Hezbollah. From there, we must move forward to end the war with a strategic advantage, while ensuring Israel's freedom of action to act against Hamas' strengthening efforts in the future, promoting normalization with Saudi Arabia and the moderate Sunni camp, and improving Israel's position on the world stage.

"These series of actions will form the Israeli basis for dealing with the strategic challenges that our team described: they will strengthen strategic relations with the US and "charge" Israel's international legitimacy, including the protection of IDF soldiers and commanders against lawsuits."

Dr. Avner Golov, former senior official at the National Security Headquarters, told N12 T News: "In the 76th year of its independence, the State of Israel is facing two geopolitical tectonic fractures that directly affect its ability to emerge from this war with achievements and preserve them over time. The first fracture is the turn in the struggle for world order between the US and China. For years, the assumption in the world was that the two superpowers would manage their relations within the framework of a multipolar world - a world in which several centers of military, economic and political power operate. Russia was considered a military power in addition to the US, China and the European Union, with Japan and India being economic powers. In such a world, everyone does business with everyone else, coalitions are ad hoc and relations are not exclusive.

"However, from 2018, the US began to deviate from the course and require its partners to choose between it and China, which for its part began to punish those who did not choose it and to promote measures to reduce dependence and sometimes even disengagement from the US and the West. The two superpowers, the USA and China, have in practice created a formidable force that divides the world into two blocs and the world order into two blocs.

"This is a process that will determine what kind of world our children and grandchildren will live in, what the rules of the game will be and what will be the place of the United States. For the first time, the modern Jewish state has the opportunity to influence a process of this magnitude, mainly by strengthening the camp led by the United States.

"This is exactly the second fracture. With the outbreak of the war, we saw that China and Russia supported Israel's enemies and summoned the leaders of Hamas to Moscow and Beijing in the days after the Simchat Torah massacre. More importantly, President Biden demonstrated unprecedented American involvement in several areas: military support and politically in Israel and in the Israeli narrative against false narratives, deterring Iran and Hezbollah, financial aid and leading the mediation efforts - both on the issue of returning the kidnapped and on the issue of keeping Hezbollah away from the northern border.

"From conversations with colleagues in India and other countries in Asia, partners from the region and Europe, as well as in terms of the reactions of China and Russia and the conduct of our enemies, we came to one very striking conclusion - they all follow American support for Israel and the ability of Israel and the US to demonstrate unity and a coordinated policy. Of course, from time to time differences of opinion arise However, it is clear that close cooperation with the US, a positive relationship in which the parties demonstrate strategic coordination and resolve disputes behind the scenes, directly reflects the strength of the State of Israel vis-à-vis its enemies and Israel's ability to be perceived as attractive by its friends and business partners.

"Therefore, in the reality after October 7, we believe that Israel must dissociate itself from the discourse that calls for total strategic independence on the one hand and the opposite view that advocates subordinating itself to the US within the framework of a defense alliance on the other hand. In the two-block world that is now taking shape, Israel must find itself in the American camp but do so as a partner Real and a place of strength and value.

"This means being a country that leads a pro-American camp in the Middle East and leverages this for a front against Iran, for a coalition whose purpose is to ensure that our children live without Hamas and for normalization with Saudi Arabia. Today, it is clear that the entrance ticket to this move includes a price in the Palestinian arena. Between the current position of The government does not discuss any plan and the establishment of a Palestinian state has a wide range of possibilities. As someone who talks with the administration, I estimate that it will be possible to find a common ground that will allow Israel to be part of a regional coalition without jeopardizing its security.

"An Israeli-American partnership must also be expressed in Israel's willingness to stand by the US in the important struggle for Washington - against China. The meaning: to create a joint technological ecosystem to contribute to American technological superiority, to block Chinese access to infrastructure and sensitive technologies in Israel - a move that is important to protect The Israeli interest regardless of the US - and to promote the Western values ??that form the value basis for the relations between the countries in Israel internally, and in the international arena in general."

Operational Update

Netanyahu emphasized the strategic importance of the ongoing battle in Rafah during an aerial tour of the Gaza Strip, accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram and Commander of the 162nd Division, Brigadier General Itzik Cohen. "The battle in Rafah is critical. It is a battle that decides many things in this campaign," Netanyahu said, following an aerial review of the operational activities in Rafah led by the 162nd Division. Netanyahu highlighted the critical nature of the Rafah battle, describing it as a pivotal point in the campaign against enemy forces: "It's not just the rest of their battalions, it's also their oxygen pipes back for escape and resupply. This battle, of which you are an integral part, is a battle that decides many things in this campaign."

"I repeat: we are in a critical battle now. Your action helps end it. Its completion advances us a huge distance to defeating the enemy. I just want to congratulate you and thank you on behalf of the citizens of Israel and the people of Israel for what you are doing. I know you eat a lot of dust, but you are doing a great thing. Thank you!"

"Today, the representatives of the IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the families of the kidnapped Thai citizens, Sontia Ok'Krasari and Sontisek Rintalk, who worked in agriculture in the plantations near Kibbutz Bari, that they were murdered during the terrorist attack on October 7. Their bodies were kidnapped and they have been strengthened by Hamas in Gaza ever since.... In front of our eyes is the moral obligation to return everyone - all 132 abductees and abductees home as quickly as possible. We will continue to fight and work together with all the security organizations, to create the conditions in order to return them home to us, and to their families - whether in Israel or abroad ".

Operational Update - Gaza

Knesset member Amit Levy said that "all 24 Hamas battalions are present [in Gaza] and not a single one of them has been destroyed." In addition to the Resistance's resilience, the Islamic Jihad movement remains present, "they lied to us that it had been eliminated," Levy told Channel 14.

The ratio of terrorists to Palestinian noncombatants killed during Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is approximately one to one, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed. “What Israel has done is take the effort to minimize civilian casualties as no other army has done,” the Israeli leader said in an interview with U.S. author and political adviser Dan Senor. “We use leaflets, we use millions of text messages, phone calls. We actually call the people, give up the benefit of surprise, tell them: ‘Get out of the way. Get out of the war zone so that we can accomplish our military objectives while you’re in a safe place,'” said Netanyahu. “We’re facing 35,000 Hamas terrorists. We’ve killed already about 14,000, wounded many others, and we’re progressing towards that goal” of destroying the terror group, he added.

Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman on Monday reinforced Netanyahu’s message, saying that the Israel Defense Forces had killed more than 14,000 terrorists and approximately 16,000 civilians since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7. “Israel is setting the new gold standard for urban warfare with what appears to be the lowest civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio in history,” stated Hyman. It is not possible to independently verify these numbers, as no evidence has been provided to support them.

"The IDF is engaged in intense fighting in three focal points in the Gaza Strip, where three divisions fighting Hamas are maneuvering. On the northern border, during the night we attacked a complex of production and storage sites for weapons, which belongs to Hezbollah's missile precision project in Jebel Shams in the Bekaa. The attack was carried out in response to Hezbollah firing at a military site located near the Golani intersection, and hit a balloon that was on the ground as part of the processes of operational absorption of this balloon." During the raid in Rafah, SDF soldiers located loaded launchers and destroyed them. Division 98 forces continue fighting in the Jabaliya area, so far over 150 terrorists have been eliminated - Division 162 forces continue fighting in the Rafah area.

The ground operation launched by the IDF in Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip, continued for the fourth day in a row, while the scene remained the same in the city of Rafah, south of the Strip, regarding the borders of the ground operation. In Jabalia, the Israeli army is carrying out a massive destruction and annihilation of entire residential blocks, and continues to blow up hundreds of homes and high-rise buildings, while the resistance is engaged in very fierce confrontations in every spot it tries to expand to. Field sources told Al-Akhbar that the IDF established a security square surrounding Block 2, south of the UNRWA clinic, starting from the Al-Salehin neighborhood to the east, and besieging Al-Hadad Street behind the UNRWA schools, and Abu Al-Aish and Sultan Streets from the southern side of the area. The resistance fighters there fight very fierce battles, in which the eyes of fighters and soldiers meet face to face dozens of times. Perhaps what is shown in the video clips distributed by the military arms of the resistance factions, and the epic stories circulated in the street, is a small part of the reality of the reality on the ground.

In December 2023, the Israeli army announced its victory over Hamas in Jabalia, saying it had broken the Palestinian movement’s grip on its traditional stronghold in the northern Gaza Strip. At the time, Itzik Cohen, commander of the 162nd Division, said, “Jabalia is no longer Jabalia as it was before,” and pointed out that the Israeli army was able to kill “hundreds” of Hamas fighters and arrested about 500 suspected of being members of the armed movement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to eliminate the Palestinian Islamic Movement, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is considered by the Hebrew state to be a “terrorist organization,” similar to the United States and the European Union. Five months after Cohen's statement, Israeli forces returned to Jabalia, and are now pushing back into the crowded camp, backed by artillery and airstrikes in one of a series of recent "re-clearance" operations against Hamas fighters, "whose fighters have quickly regrouped in areas they vacated." Israeli forces,” according to the Washington Post .

The rapid Israeli attack in Gaza gave way to a fierce battle of attrition, which highlights how far it is from its main military goal - the complete dismantling of Hamas, the American newspaper confirms. As an adaptable armed organization with easy access to recruits, an extensive tunnel network and deeply embedded in the fabric of Gaza, Hamas has shown that it can withstand a devastating, protracted war. The resumption of heavy fighting in the north comes as the Israeli military presses ahead with its much-criticized campaign in the southern city of Rafah - which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long described as a final battle against the last intact Hamas brigades.

Now, American officials and some Israeli Cabinet members are offering increasingly frank assessments of the militant group's resilience and Netanyahu's failure to plan for postwar Gaza. In striking comments Wednesday night, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant called on Netanyahu to make a public commitment that Israel will not ultimately rule Gaza after the war, amid growing concerns in the Israeli military that its mission is creeping toward reoccupying the area. Gallant said that Hamas may regain its power as long as it maintains civilian control, noting that failure to establish "an alternative ruling authority is equivalent to choosing between the two worst alternatives: Hamas rule or Israeli control of Gaza."

In Washington, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made a similar observation last Monday, telling reporters that “military pressure is necessary but not sufficient to completely defeat Hamas.” He added: "If Israel's efforts are not accompanied by a political plan for the future of Gaza and the Palestinian people, terrorists will continue to return."

When Israeli forces withdrew from Jabalia last year, Hamas began a recruitment campaign for aid securing jobs and established a new headquarters there, according to residents. A 42-year-old resident of Jabalia, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said, “There is a presence of policemen, but without police uniforms, and they are all wearing civilian clothes.” This situation, according to Reuters , highlights growing questions about the Israeli government's stated goal of eliminating Hamas.

As tanks began to push into the southern city of Rafah, where the army says the last four intact Hamas brigades are holed up there, there was heavy fighting in the Zaytoun area of ??Gaza City and around Jabalia to the north, where the IDF took control last year before advancing south. The renewed fighting there - amid international pressure for a ceasefire - highlights concern in Israel that the lack of a clear strategic plan for Gaza will leave Hamas in effective control of the enclave it has ruled since 2007. This situation, according to the same agency, confirms that “a clear end to the war seems more distant than ever before.”

Hamas, hidden in the vast network of tunnels sprawling beneath the rubble of Gaza, appears to retain widespread support among residents affected by the campaign that has killed thousands and forced most Gazans from their homes. Michael Milstein, a former military intelligence officer and one of the most prominent Israeli experts on Islamic movements, said, "If we rely on a strategy of continuous attrition against Hamas, it will not achieve the goal of governmental or military collapse."

In addition, US Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, announced on Monday that Washington doubts that Israel will achieve “a sweeping victory on the battlefield.” The White House said on Thursday that the United States had provided alternatives to Israel to defeat Hamas, indicating that the invasion of Rafah would not achieve this goal.

Although rocket barrages from the Strip subsided for several months after the Israeli campaign in the north, they have increased again in recent weeks. On Tuesday, a missile could be seen heading towards the Israeli border town of Sderot, “a clear reminder of Hamas’ ability to survive,” says the Washington Post.

On the other hand, the strategic goals of Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, “seem clear,” according to a Reuters report. The movement's goals, according to the author of the report, are to emerge from the war with enough strength to rebuild, which is reflected in his insistence on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces as a condition for reaching any ceasefire agreement. A Palestinian official not allied with Hamas, close to the stalled talks mediated by Egypt and Qatar, said, “These are survival tactics for Hamas, and soon Israel will find itself forced to answer the question: What comes after Rafah?”

It remains unclear how many fighters from Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza were killed, as casualty figures published by the Gaza Ministry of Health do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Georgios Petropoulos, an official at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rafah, said, according to the American CBS News, that aid workers do not have supplies to help refugees settle in new locations. “We simply have no tents, no blankets, no beds, none of the materials you would expect a mobile population to be able to get from the humanitarian system,” he said.

Despite intense American pressure not to launch an attack on Rafah, whose population has swelled with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, Israeli leaders have begun to move deeper into the city. It remains unclear what they would encounter in its narrow streets if they launched a large-scale attack. A fighter from one of the armed factions said, according to what Reuters reported: “Our fighters choose their battles, and do not allow the occupation to impose on us the time of battle or our land because we do not have equal military capabilities.... We don't have to face it face to face, but the occupiers and invaders will lose soldiers and vehicles almost every day, here and there inside Gaza. They will never stabilize."

Operational Update - Judea-Samaria

The forces of the IDF, the Israel Police, the Shin Bet and the Counter-Terrorism Headquarters operated throughout the Central Command in an extensive operation to confiscate terrorist funds and technological equipment. At the end of a manhunt conducted by the IDF and Shin Bet forces in the area of the Samaria Brigade, Samaria Brigade fighters arrested the suspect in the stabbing attack at the Yitzhar Junction this morning in Avarta.

There was an operational accident as a result of a munitions explosion in military territory near the "Black Arrow" monument, where IDF forces were stationed. First, a safety incident was reported at the place where the IDF forces were, and now the tragic results have become clear. A preliminary investigation shows that what exploded was a mortar barrel - while it was being fired towards the Gaza Strip. Sergeant-at-Arms Ran Yavetz was injured as a result of the explosion, and was later pronounced dead. The IDF is investigating what caused the explosion. Yaebetz, 39 years old, served as a fighter in the 6828 patrol battalion in the Bislah Brigade.

A terrorist arrived at the Yitzhar junction in the Shomron Brigade and stabbed an IDF regular who was in his car, the terrorist fled. The IDF forces began a pursuit of the terrorist and are blocking roads in the area. The permanent resident is in moderate condition for medical treatment at a hospital, his family has been informed.

Three Palestinians were martyred in the city of Tulkarm, during a massive raid targeting all the cities of the West Bank, which included raiding money exchange shops, confiscating money from them, and arresting dozens of Palestinians, while the Israeli occupation army deployed at the entrance to the town of Huwwara under the pretext of searching for the perpetrator of a stabbing attack that led to the injury of a settler.

Many days of farewell have passed in Tulkarm. Three martyrs were killed by occupation bullets during a massive raid launched by the occupation army in the cities of the West Bank , focusing on money exchange shops , confiscating money from them, and injuring and arresting others. In Nablus, the occupation army deployed at the entrances and exits of the city, under the pretext of searching for the perpetrator of a stabbing attack that led to the injury of a settler near the Salman Al-Farisi roundabout at the entrance to the eastern town of Huwwara, south of the city.

More than five hundred martyrs bid farewell to the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, during the war on Gaza, and hundreds of incursions and destruction of infrastructure were concentrated in cities and camps in the northern West Bank. The Palestinians in the West Bank are accustomed to saying goodbye to the martyrs on a daily basis. It is therefore a war against everything that is Palestinian. All sectors are targeted, and all Palestinian fighters and civilians are in the range of the occupation’s bullets.

Operational Update - Lebanon

Aircraft of the Air Force attacked a terrorist squad in the area of Kana in the territory of Lebanon who were on their way to carry out an immediate terrorist plan towards the territory of the country. At the same time, Air Force fighter jets attacked and destroyed throughout the day a wide range of Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory. Among the targets that were attacked, a military building and observation post in the Eyta al-Sha'ab area, an observation post and terrorist infrastructure in the Miss al-Jabal area, a military building in the Kfar Kila area, and two military buildings in the al-Nakura and Khula areas, where terrorists were staying.

IDF forces attacked to remove a threat in several areas in the territory of Lebanon.

The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, yesterday (Wednesday), held a situation assessment and tour of the 210th Division with the Northern Command Commander, Major General Uri Gordin, the 210th Division Commander, Brigadier General Zion Retzon and other commanders. Halevi said: "We trained the people, they are knowledgeable about the plans, they have everything needed and we know how to do it excellently. And that is what you are telling me, you convey to me a very high level of preparedness. I am returning from here with a feeling of a very high readiness, you will continue to develop it and we will make the decisions according to the developments. The important thing, high readiness, strong reactions, finding the right goals and hurting the other side."

An explosive UAV crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the territory of Israel and exploded in the area of Metula. The incident is being investigated.As a result of the aircraft explosion, an IDF soldier was seriously injured and two other soldiers were slightly injured. The soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital, their families were informed.

Following the alerts that were activated in the north of the country, about 40 launches were detected that crossed the territory of Lebanon towards the area of the Golan Heights. Of these, a number of launches will be successfully intercepted by the air defense fighters. There were no casualties, IDF forces attacked the sources of the shooting. Shortly after identifying the source of the launch, Air Force fighter jets attacked and destroyed one of the military positions from which the launches were carried out. Also, a military building in the Eyta al-Sha'ab area, where terrorists were staying, and another military building in the Halta area were attacked. Following the alerts that were activated in the Zerait area, about five launches were detected that crossed from Lebanese territory into the area. There are no casualties.

Israel confirmed that Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement carried out an attack on a sensitive military installation, targeting a major surveillance balloon known as Sky Dew. The Israeli military disclosed on Thursday that an explosive-laden Hezbollah drone struck an Israeli airbase located approximately 35 kilometers from the northern border between occupied territories and Lebanon. This operation marks Hezbollah’s most significant strike within the occupied lands since Israel initiated its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, as reported by Israeli media outlets. Prior to this operation, Hezbollah had launched projectiles toward Israeli targets within a range of about 15 kilometers from the border.

Earlier this week, Hezbollah declared that it had successfully targeted and destroyed an Israeli surveillance balloon, deployed for reconnaissance over the settlement of Adamit. The resistance group claimed responsibility for striking the balloon’s launch site, control mechanism, and personnel, resulting in casualties among Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah said the operation was a response to recent Israeli attacks on southern villages and civilian residences in Lebanon. Tensions between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in early October, following Israel’s offensive in Gaza triggered by a surprise operation by Palestinian resistance forces.

Al-Alam’s correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that the Islamic Resistance launched an air attack with attack drones on industrial facilities belonging to the enemy’s Ministry of War (Elbit Military Industries Company) - David Cohen’s factory in the hill neighborhood north of Kiryat Shmona, which specializes in producing electronic systems for the Zionist army, and it hit its targets. accurately.

The correspondent noted an acceleration in the pace of unprecedented developments at the level of operations carried out by the Islamic Resistance, the most recent of which was a squadron of Islamic Resistance marches in Lebanon that attacked north of Kiryat Shmona, targeting a company belonging to David Cohen, which is the company that works for the Israeli Ministry of War and is concerned with the production of electronic equipment, which led to... Cause great damage and destroy large parts of this company. The correspondent pointed out that this comes in response to the Israeli occupation targeting some factories in the Bekaa region during night raids.

The correspondent explained that the operations carried out by the resistance have reached "12" operations up to this hour, and were not limited only to the sites overlooking the Lebanese edge . There was an attack on one of the dual-mission marches that targeted the Metulla colony with an "S5" missile, which as soon as it pounced on the target. The first until it completed its path to the second goal, and the occupation later admitted the casualties, as there were one dead and two wounded Israeli occupation soldiers in this barracks.

The correspondent said that the operation carried out by the resistance this morning targeted the air defense headquarters, the command headquarters of the 210th Brigade in the Golan Division, and the artillery headquarters in Yawaf, Nafah, and Kila with dozens of Katyusha rockets, and the operations that were also carried out with heavy Burkan-type missiles that targeted the vicinity of Jal al-Alam, in addition to many From Israeli positions along the front edge with occupied Palestine.

The Islamic Resistance issued the following statement: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the “Israeli” enemy’s attack on industrial facilities in the Bekaa region, the Islamic Resistance launched on Thursday 5/16- 2024 An air attack with attack drones on industrial facilities belonging to the enemy’s Ministry of War (Elbit Military Industries Company) - David Cohen’s factory in Tel Hai ( north of Kiryat Shmona ), which specializes in producing electronic systems for the “Israeli” army and hit its targets accurately. And victory is only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.” Thursday 05/16/2024 AD."

Hezbollah's military media published a summary of its operations against the positions and deployment of the Israeli army on the southern Lebanese border, which it carried out on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Eastern sector:
1. 10:00: The leadership of the 210th Golan Division in Nafah, the air defense barracks in Kiela, and the artillery barracks to support the northern region in Yoav were targeted with a missile attack with more than 60 Katyusha rockets in response to the Israeli attacks last night on the Bekaa region.
2. At 13:38: The Metula site, its garrison and its vehicles were targeted with an attack march armed with “S5” missiles. When it reached the designated point, it launched its missiles at one of its vehicles and the elements gathered around it, leaving them dead and wounded, and then it continued its assault on the target designated for it and hit it accurately. ?
3. 17:07: Al-Marj site was targeted with artillery shells and was directly hit.
4. 17:30: The Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba was targeted with missile weapons and was directly hit.
5. 18:15: The spy equipment mounted on a crane in Al-Tayhat Hill was targeted with appropriate weapons and directly hit, leading to its destruction.
6. 18:50: Industrial facilities belonging to the Israeli Ministry of War (Elbit Military Industries Company) were targeted the David Cohen factory in Tel Hai (north of Kiryat Shmona), which specializes in producing electronic systems for the Israeli army, with an air attack with attack drones as a response to Israel’s attack on industrial facilities. In the Bekaa region.
7. 22:50: An Israeli army technical team was targeted while it was maintaining the spy equipment that was previously targeted in the Ramim barracks with artillery shells.

   Western sector:

8. 08:35: The spy equipment developed at the Adathar site was targeted with appropriate weapons and it was directly hit.
9. 11:00: Zarit Barracks and the equipment crane and new spy equipment in the barracks were targeted with guided weapons and artillery shells.
10. 11:10: The newly developed spy equipment at the Jal al-Alam site was targeted with appropriate weapons and directly hit.
11. 11:10: The spy equipment at the Ramia site was targeted with appropriate weapons and was directly hit.
12. 17:15: The spy equipment at the Jal al-Deir site was targeted with appropriate weapons, and it was directly hit, leading to its destruction.
13. 17:30: A deployment of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Jal al-Alam site was targeted with Burkan missiles and artillery shells.

Operational Update - Syria / Iraq

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announces a drone attack on a target in Eilat. The Islamic Resistance confirmed in a statement that it would continue "to destroy enemy strongholds in order to complete the second phase of operations to resist the occupation." It said that the goal of its operations against Israel is "to support our people in Gaza, and to respond to the Zionist massacres against defenseless Palestinian civilians."

Operational Update - Yemen

Maps

All maps are lies. “Not only is it easy to lie with maps, it is essential,” wrote cartographer Mark Monmoneir in his book How to Lie with Maps. He showed that condensing complex, three-dimensional spaces onto a two-dimensional sheet of paper [in old days] is bound to be reductive. But it is impossible to comprehend the war in Gaza without reference to maps, otherwise the entire conflict is reduced to an endless series of meaningless acts of random violence and the suffering of civilians. The first characteristic of guerrilla warfare is the loss of a front line. Evidently, different mappers have different ideas of how to depict the war in Gaza, notably those that seek to depict Israeli progress in the ground campaign. Part of the problem is latency. The news that forms the basis of the maps takes time to filter out to mappers, and the cartographers take time in crafting their maps, and it takes time to curate them. These processes are uneven among mappers, so their maps may differ in detail. Probably there is some ideological bias, or at least thematic apperception, which is understandable in wartime. It may come as no surprise that al-Jazeera maps depict rather less Israeli territorial progress than other sources. Finally, there remains the epistemological question of just exactly what are the colored in areas depicting. Naively, this might be understood as areas of Israeli control, that are no longer contested by the HAMAS. Or possibly these are areas of Israeli presence, in many of which the possibility of an RPG-wielding HAMAS militant popping out of a tunnel unexpectedly remains a live possibility. With the "zero-range" combat characterized by small unit tactics on both sides, maps may be prey to a fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Bystanders

The final statement of the Arab Summit in Bahrain, on Thursday, called on the UN Security Council to implement its decisions to cease fire in Gaza and work to establish a Palestinian state. The Bahrain summit statement stressed the necessity of the Israeli army withdrawing from Gaza and lifting the siege on the Strip, stressing the need to enable UNRWA to work and provide financial support.

The statement added: “Belief in the importance of joint Arab action in preserving the security and stability of the Arab countries, cooperation and integration in all fields, and emphasizing the importance of dealing with a unified strategic vision with the challenges and requirements of sustainable development for the good and benefit of the Arab peoples, and in awareness of the strategic importance of the Arab nation on the global arena, And its economic potential and human resources, and the necessity of creating conditions to enhance cooperation, build economic partnerships, and achieve comprehensive development based on common interests and mutual benefits, in a way that meets the aspirations of our Arab peoples and achieves growth and prosperity, and out of an effort to adhere to solidarity, solidarity, and synergy to deal collectively with the current circumstances, and to dedicate to the importance of communication, cooperation, and integration to enhance The collective progress of our countries in all fields towards a safe, stable and prosperous region that meets the interests and aspirations of its people. We, the leaders of the Arab countries collectively:

1- We express our condolences to the State of Kuwait and its brotherly people on the death of the late Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the late Emir of Kuwait, may God rest his soul, and we congratulate His Highness Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as His Highness assumed the reins of government in the State of Kuwait, wishing His Highness success and the people of Kuwait. Goodness, growth and prosperity.

2- We express our appreciation for the good efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during its presidency of the thirty-second Arab Summit, and the good endeavors it is undertaking to unify efforts, support joint Arab action, enhance regional security, and defend the interests of the Arab countries and their peoples.

3- We stress the importance of the Joint Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee continuing its targeted efforts to stop the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and end the humanitarian catastrophe from which more than two million and three hundred thousand Palestinian citizens are suffering, and to mobilize an international position supportive of the right of the brotherly Palestinian people to live in security, safety and freedom in their independent state. Sovereignty over its national territory. We thank the Committee for its efforts on the regional and international arenas, expressing appreciation for the efforts of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in preparing and arranging to hold the thirty-third summit.

4- We stress the need to stop the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip immediately, withdraw the Israeli occupation forces from all areas of the Strip, lift the siege imposed on it, remove all obstacles, open all crossings to the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid to all parts of it, and empower United Nations organizations, especially the United Nations Agency. Relief and Works for Refugees (UNRWA) from work, and to provide financial support for it to carry out its responsibilities freely and safely, reiterating our categorical rejection of any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from their land in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We call for urgent measures to be taken to achieve an immediate and permanent ceasefire, end the aggression in the Gaza Strip, provide protection for civilians, and release hostages and detainees.”

The statement stressed: “In this context, we strongly condemn Israel’s obstruction of ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip, and its continued military escalation by expanding its aggression against the Palestinian city of Rafah despite international warnings of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of that. We also condemn the Israeli forces’ control over the Palestinian side.” From the Rafah crossing with the aim of tightening the siege on civilians in the Gaza Strip, which led to the cessation of the crossing’s operation, the flow of humanitarian aid, and the loss of the Palestinian people of Gaza’s main lifeline. In this regard, we call on Israel to withdraw from Rafah, in order to ensure safe humanitarian access.”

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi accused Israel of evading efforts to reach a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Speaking to Arab leaders at a summit in Manama on Thursday, Sissi highlighted Egypt's role as a mediator and expressed frustration over Israel's actions. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called on the international community and all acting parties to cooperate "to save the future, before it is too late,” and put an immediate end to the outrageous Israeli war against the Palestinians and establish their independent state.

Addressing the 33rd session of the Arab League Summit in Bahrain Thursday, El-Sisi lamented the absence of the genuine international political will to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and address the roots of the conflict through the two-state solution. "The rights of the tens of thousands of children of Palestine who were killed in Gaza will remain a sword weighing heavy on the world's conscience until justice is done," El-Sisi said.

He noted that Egypt has engaged in ceasefire talks to save the “region from falling into a deep abyss” and that it found no “genuine international political will to end the occupation and address the root causes of the conflict through the two-state solution.” Instead, according to El-Sisi, Egypt "found Israel continuing to evade its responsibilities and the efforts made to reach a ceasefire and even pressing ahead with its rejected military operation in Rafah and attempting to use the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip."

He reiterated Egypt’s "unwavering position in rejecting the liquidation of the Palestinian cause, the forced displacement of the Palestinians, and the Israeli approach of creating facts on the ground to make Gaza uninhabitable so Israel could expel the Palestinians from their land." “Those who believe that security and military solutions guarantee their interests or peace are deluded,” El-Sisi asserted, noting that “similarly, those who think that brinkmanship yields benefit or gains are demonstrably mistaken.”

The Egyptian president pointed out that the fate of the Middle East region and its peoples’ resources are “far too significant to be entrusted to warmongers or advocates of zero-sum games.” Despite the current conditions, the president said, Egypt still hopes the voices of reason, justice and truth will ultimately prevail and save the region from endless waves of wars and bloodshed. The Egyptian President also pointed out that justice is indivisible and that the lives of the Palestinian people are as precious as those of any other.

He emphasized that the faith of all peoples in the world in the justice of the international order is facing an unprecedented test, warning of the potentially devastating repercussions of the current situation on global peace, security and stability.

Axis of Resistance

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force said the three European countries that deployed their warplanes to defend the Israeli regime against a retaliatory operation staged by Iran will be held accountable. “All criminals should know (this) that their measures and crimes have been chalked up to their accounts,” Brigadier General Esmail Qaani said on Wednesday. “France, Germany, and the UK should not think that they deployed the planes that night and that the issue was over. Yes, that night was over, but they will be held accountable in due course,” he added. The commander was addressing a ceremony held to mark 40 days since the martyrdom of the IRGC’s General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Qaani hailed the role played by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in the operation. “Who in the world dares to take such a decision?” he asked, reminding that even the United States -- Israel's biggest ally -- had announced following the Israeli terrorist attack that it would not enter the fray.

Hamas expressed its regret over the statements of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who accused the movement of giving "pretexts" to the occupying entity to attack Gaza by carrying out the "Al-Aqsa Flood" attack. The movement said in a statement: “The Zionist enemy does not wait for pretexts to commit its crimes .” Hamas added that it had repeatedly stressed its keenness to achieve national unity, and that the movement had shown flexibility at all stages in order to "strengthen" our internal front.

The President of the Palestinian Authority, pointed the finger of blame at Hamas in his speech during the 33rd Arab Summit in Bahrain, claiming: “Hamas carried out the military operation on October 7 by a unilateral decision and provided Israel with more pretexts to attack Gaza.”

On the other hand, the Hamas movement welcomed the final statement issued by the thirty-third Arab Summit, which was held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, today, Thursday. The movement said, in a separate press statement, “We welcome the final statement issued by the thirty-third Arab Summit, which affirmed the firm and steadfast Arab support for the aspirations of our people for liberation and independence, and its affirmation of the rejection of the Zionist aggression and attempts to displace our people that the criminal Zionist entity sought through the war of extermination.” And the ethnic cleansing it is committing in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas called on “the sisterly Arab countries to take the necessary measures to force the occupation to stop the aggression, withdraw its army from the entire Gaza Strip, including the Rafah crossing, lift the siege, return the displaced, and carry out reconstruction.”

The leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Mr. Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, confirmed that the Americans are involved in exterminating the Palestinian people in Gaza and starving them out, stressing that the Americans have a fundamental role in all the crimes committed by the occupation in Gaza. In a direct speech, Mr. Al-Houthi indicated that the Israeli enemy committed more than 4,000 massacres in the Gaza Strip , adding: It was enough for one massacre in Gaza to stir the human conscience. He also pointed out that the occupation has not allowed any humanitarian aid to enter since its occupation of the Rafah crossing . He stressed that the Americans have a fundamental role in all the crimes committed by the occupation in Gaza, and they have a fundamental role in the war of starvation and in extermination with their deadly bombs.

Al-Houthi said: There is a criminal trend in America in terms of making powerful bombs that destroy cities, and the American strategy and war tactics put cities in the target circle. He stressed that the Americans are involved in the annihilation of the Palestinian people in Gaza and their starvation. The leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement noted that the Israeli enemy seeks to inflict the most severe suffering on the Palestinians.

"Here are the most prominent excerpts from the speech of Mr. Abdulmalik Badr al-Din al-Houthi: "One massacre in Gaza was enough to stir the human conscience and issue strong stances to strive to prevent genocide. There is no accurate count of victims in the Gaza Strip , and what is published are approximate statistics. The Americans have a fundamental role in the war of starvation and in extermination with their deadly and destructive bombs.

"There is interest in America in how to make powerful bombs that destroy cities, and this indicates an aggressive criminal trend. From the beginning, the Americans made their weapons to be destructive to cities and mass-killing the population. The American strategy and war tactics put cities and their civilian populations under targeting. In the war of starvation, the Americans were the ones who arranged the plan to target the Rafah crossing and provided the Israeli enemy with all forms of support.

"The Americans are involved in exterminating the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and starving the rest of them. The Israeli enemy seeks to inflict the worst and harshest suffering on the Palestinians, a situation that reflects the enemy’s criminal tendency. Many Palestinian families were displaced more than 5 times during the aggression, under the watchful eye of the international community and its organizations.

"The Israeli enemy stalks the displaced as they move from one area to another in order to kill them en masse. The tragedy in Gaza this week coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, when Britain enabled the Jews to occupy Palestine. The British empowered the Jews of Palestine with his crimes, targeting free Palestinians and obstructing any liberation movement. The British, during the empowerment of the Jews, worked in the Arab environment so that there would be no strong reaction to support the Palestinian people. Every step taken by the British and the Zionist Jews during the occupation of Palestine was met with Arab and Islamic failure."

Allied for Democracy

The full data of a survey by News 12 showed that if the elections were held today, the state camp led by Gantz would be the largest party in Israel with 29 mandates - a decrease of 2 mandates from the previous poll we conducted at the end of April and for the first time since the war below 30. The Likud Bershit Netanyahu is the second largest with 19 seats, an increase of one seat. After them, Yesh Atid led by Lapid increases to 16 mandates, Yisrael Beitenu led by Lieberman gains one mandate and increases to 11, followed by Shas which remains with 9 mandates. Otzma Yehudit led by Ben Gabir weakens by one mandate and receives 9 mandates, Torah Judaism led by Goldknopf remains With 8 mandates, Hadash-Ta'al stands on 5 mandates, the same number that will be received by Ra'am led by Abbas. Meretz is left with 4 mandates - the same number of mandates as religious Zionism led by Smotrich, which this time does pass the threshold. Even in this poll, Gideon Sa'ar's state right does not pass the blocking percentage (1.0%), so do Labor (1.8%) and Balad (2.5%).

In terms of the map of the blocs - there is no change from the previous survey: the opposition with 65 mandates (70 together with Hadash-Ta'al), while the coalition remains at 50, very far from the achievement in the last elections.

A day after the confrontation between Minister Galant and Prime Minister Netanyahu, we examined a scenario in which a new party led by Galant was formed in Israel - and the other parties were unchanged. In such a scenario, the state camp led by Gantz drops by 4 seats to 25 and the Likud led by Netanyahu remains with 19 seats Yesh Atid led by Lapid drops by one mandate to 15, followed by Shas led by Deri with 10 mandates and Yisrael Beitenu, which drops by one mandate to 10 as well. Otzma Yehudit led by Ben Gabir with mandates, Torah Judaism 8 - and a party led by Gallant with 6 mandates. Hadash-Ta'al with 5 mandates, religious Zionism led by Smotrich with 4, the same number as Meretz who closes the list. In such a scenario, there is no change in terms of the parties that do not pass the percentage of obstruction - and in Lad, Labor and Sa'ar's state right remain outside the Knesset. In terms of the bloc map, and without Gallant's income for any of them - the opposition is still leading but with 59 mandates (64 plus 5 mandates of Hadash-Ta'al), and the coalition with 50.

The survey examined the possibility of connecting Labor and Meretz into one list led by Yair Golan. If the two parties were to run together and the elections were held today, in such a scenario the state camp led by Gantz would weaken by 2 mandates and receive 27, the Likud led by Netanyahu would remain with 19 mandates, Yesh Atid led by Lapand would weaken by 2 mandates and receive 14, Yisrael Beytinu led by Lieberman would remain With 11 mandates, Shas led by Deri remains with 10 followed by Otzma Yehudit led by Ben Gabir which receives 9. The Labor-Meretz list led by Yair Golan receives 8 mandates, the same number as Goldknopf's Torah Judaism. After them, Hadash-Ta'al, which remains with 5, as well as Ra'am, led by Abbas, which also receives 5 mandates. Religious Zionism, led by Smortich, closes the list with mandates. In such a scenario, where Meretz does enter the Knesset on a list with Labor, again Bel "D and Gideon Sa'ar's state right still do not pass the blocking percentage.

The majority of the public (60%) answered that Netanyahu should not fire Gallant and 23% answered yes. Among the voters of the Netanyahu bloc, 47% answered that Gallant should not be fired, compared to 38% who answered yes. 15% of the bloc's voters said they did not know. Among the voters of a bloc opposed to Netanyahu, a large majority (82%) answered that Gallant should not be fired compared to only 9% who answered yes.

N12 also checked whether the public thinks Gallant should resign on his own initiative. 47% answered that he should not resign, compared to 39% who answered yes. 14% answered that they do not know. Half (50%) of the Netanyahu Bloc voters believe that Gallant should resign, compared to 23% of Netanyahu's opposition bloc voters who also think that the Defense Minister should leave. As to what the public thinks about Netanyahu's move, who decided to promote the conscription law submitted by Benny Gantz in the previous government and passed in the first reading in the Knesset. 38% of the total sample answered that they do not support, compared to 36% who do support. More than a quarter (26%) answered that they did not know.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid expressed his dissatisfaction with the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. According to what was reported by Cairo News Channel, he said that the government in Israel must be changed before talking about changing the government in Gaza.

Dr. Michal Hatuel-Radusitzky, lecturer at Tel Aviv University, said: "There is a lot to be done. I will address three key things. First, it is important that we recognize that there are many, many Jews who have chosen to live their lives outside the State of Israel and they are no less Zionist than the Jews who have chosen to live here. In numbers, they are more numerous than the Jews who live inside The country, where the largest Jewish community outside the State of Israel lives in the USA and is approximately equal in size to the number of Jews living in the country. Judaism abroad is very diverse and in addition to the common Orthodox Judaism in Israel, there are other currents in it. It is important that we respect the Jewish ways of life even if they are different from ours - for example joint prayer of men and women.

"Secondly, these are strong, influential communities, with political, social, academic and cultural involvement and contribution to their countries. The traditional concept of rejecting the diaspora and the almost instinctive answer to every attack of anti-Semitism - that the Jews outside the borders of the state are invited to immigrate to Israel - ignores the prosperity of Jewish communities in the diaspora in their place of residence, their right to live there in security and the contribution these communities have to the countries in which they live and to the State of Israel. As was reflected in the war, these are communities that work hard and with considerable success to improve Israel's situation in many arenas.

"Thirdly, it is important that in setting policy and even in public statements by elected Israeli public officials, thought will be given to how developments here will affect the lives of Jews in the Diaspora. It is true that what will decide the balance is the good of the people living in Zion, but in most cases there is a range of activities that can be adopted and the reality is not dichotomous. In the basket of options considered when setting policy, and in the manner in which this policy is expressed externally, it is recommended to give weight to the impact of events on Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

"The Declaration of Independence called on "the Jewish people in all the diasporas to unite around the settlement of Aliya and in the building and to stand to their right in the great campaign for the fulfillment of the generations' ambition for the redemption of Israel." In the full 76 years of its independence in general, and in the War of Iron Swords in particular, it seems that Diaspora Jewry stands by Israel, and the time has come to see in what way the State of Israel can stand by them."

Operation Iron Swords - By the Numbers

In a recent interview on the Call Me Back podcast with Dan Senor, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed startling statistics regarding the casualties in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu stated that the ratio of Hamas combatants to Gazan civilians killed is approximately one to one, with around 14,000 Hamas combatants and an estimated 16,000 civilians having lost their lives.

• 1,900,000 IDPs in Gaza
• 79,141 Gazans injured, 28% adult male
• 70,000 tons of explosives dropped on Gaza
• 70,000 Gaza housing units completely destroyed
• 70,000 Israeli IDPs from Lebanon border
• 45,000 bombs dropped in Gaza
• 45,000 Gazans killed, including buried under rubble
• 35,233 Gazans martyred
• 33,000 Gaza targets attacked
• 20,528 Palestinians in Israeli prisons [Haaretz, 20 Mar 2024]
• 15,140 Israelis injured [i24 TV]
• 15,000 terror operatives killed in Gaza [Israeli officials]
• 15,000 rockets launched from Gaza
• 14,520 Gazan children martyred
• 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [N12]
• 13,000 HAMAS combatants killed [IDF]
• 11,000 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank in 2023
• 10,000 Gazans missing under the rubble
• 9,920 Gazan women martyred
• 9,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons
• 9,000 IDF needing psychological assistance
• 8,665 arrested by Israelis in the West Bank since Oct.7th
• 7,209 IDF injured admitted to rehabilitation [IDF]
• 6,800 IDF officers and soldiers injured [Channel 12]
• 6,000 HAMAS combatants killed [HAMAS]
• 5,500 IDF wounded [reports]
• 4,800 West Bank Palestinians wounded
• 4,700 sites targetted in Lebanon
• 3,850 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria
• 3,600 administrative detainees
• 3,188 IDF wounded [IDF]
• 2,100 Gazan women are missing
• 1,609 terrorists killed on the first day
• 1,650 wanted persons arrested throughout Judea and Samaria affiliated with Hamas
• 1,160 Israelis killed on the first day
• 620 Israeli officers and soldiers killed since the start of the war
• 468 West Bank Palestinians martyred
• 364 people [including fighters] killed in Lebanon
• 274 Israeli officers and soldiers killed in Gaza
• 240 Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon
• 126 people recovered, including 91 Israelis, 11 bodies, and 24 foreign workers
• 116 living hostages in Palestinian custody
• 70 civilians killed in Lebanon
• 29 IDF deaths were caused by "friendly fire"
• 15 Israelis killed in the West Bank and Israel

Not every number is reported every day, so sudden jumps generally reflect reporting artifacts rather than actual upticks. Many of these numbers fluctate, up and down, with no apparent explanation. This list records the highest number reliably reported for each matter, under the theory that reality with catch up with reports, as is relentlessly the case.

Some reports claimed that the UN cut in half its earlier estimates of women and children killed in Gaza. Initially, they reported 9,500 women and 14,500 children killed, but later revised it to 4,959 women and 7,797 children on 08 May 2024. The UN acknowledged its inability to independently verify casualty figures. The seeming discrepancy is that HAMAS had about 10K KIA bodies on hand for which they do not have positive ID. It is possible to report the gender and approximate age [ie, juvenile] without knowing the name of the deceased.