Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., November 2, 2023)

Overview^[1]

• The southern sector: During the past day the IDF ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip intensified, supported by the Navy and Air Force which helped neutralize threats on the ground and attack Hamas operatives. The IDF spokesman reported that since the beginning of the war, IDF forces had attacked approximately 12,000 targets. Senior Hamas figures boasted about the failure of Israel’s ground maneuver and denied the deaths of senior military-terrorist operatives.
• So far, over 1,400 civilian and soldier deaths have been reported; 242 civilian and soldier abductees are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Eighteen IDF soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the ground maneuver. A delegation from Thailand met in Iran with Hamas representatives and senior Iranians in an attempt the secure the release of 22 Thai citizens who were abducted from Israel to the Gaza Strip.
• The Gaza Strip: Hospitals report hardships because “they have run out of fuel.” On November 1, 2023, the IDF spokesman revealed a conversation with the participation of the director of the Indonesian Hospital, who reported Hamas took fuel from the hospital.
• The northern sector: Hezbollah terrorist operatives continued attacking IDF positions on the northern border. The IDF responded by shooting at the squads and eliminating squads that were planning to shoot; Hezbollah facilities were also attacked.
• Judea and Samaria: An Israeli died as the result of a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Samaria. The IDF forces continued counterterrorism activities. Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh met with international figures to try to bring about a ceasefire and the transfer of aid to the Gaza Strip.
• Iran: Reports multiplied about the frequent visits of Esmail Qaani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Qods Force, to Beirut. Senior Iranian officials continue to blame Israel and the United States for the events. The Houthis in Yemen continue to express support for the Gaza Strip and promise to join the fight. A senior Hamas official thanked Yemen for its support.
• Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel. Meanwhile, King Abdullah has engaged in a series of diplomatic contacts to stop the fighting. According to reports, Jordan warned Yemen, Hezbollah and Hamas not to attack Jordan’s security.

The Combat Arena

IDF activity

• The maneuver of the IDF’s ground forces in the Gaza Strip has intensified in close cooperation with the Navy and the Air Force. The IDF spokesman reported that approximately 1,200 terrorist targets had been attacked since the beginning of the war (IDF spokesman, November 2, 2023).
• The ground forces operate in close cooperation with Israeli Air Force airplanes, attack helicopters and remotely manned aircraft; Navy vessels and artillery assist the forces in targeting and airstrikes. The information collected in real time is immediately transmitted to the aerial and naval forces, who use it to attack terrorist targets. During the past day, dozens of Hamas targets were destroyed, including observation posts, squads and anti-tank launching positions, boats, military posts, weapons warehouses, weapons production sites, launching positions and UAVs. A large number of terrorists were killed, and attempts to penetrate into Israeli territory were prevented. Muhammad A’sar, the head of Hamas’s anti-tank system, died in a targeted killing. He was responsible for all of Hamas’ anti-tank units in Gaza (IDF spokesman’s website, November 1, 2023). During the operation, the fighters encountered terrorist operatives in several locations, including anti-tank squads who tried to attack them. Aircraft directed from the ground attacked the squads and eliminated them (IDF spokesman, November 2, 2023).

   

   
IDF forces during the ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman’s website, November 2, 2023)

   
Israeli Air Force attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip (IDF Spokesperson website, November 2, 2023)

    
Right: IDF strikes in Gaza on the morning of November 2 (Shehab Twitter account, November 2, 2023). Left: An attack helicopter in the skies over Gaza releases heat balloons to prevent anti-aircraft fire from hitting it (Wafa YouTube channel, November 1, 2023)

Reactions to the IDF’s ground maneuver

• Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, claimed Israel had been defeated on October 7, and now its ground maneuver was a failure. He said Israel had paid a high price, including the lives of several hostages held by Hamas, until it realized its mistake [sic]. He warned the world would have no security as long as the Palestinians had not obtained their rights. Addressing the countries that support Israel, especially the United States, he said they had to help Gaza and stop blocking the international community’s attempts to end the aggression. He thanked “all the fronts of the resistance” including Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen (Hamas Telegram channel, November 1, 2023).
• On October 31, 2023, during the activities of the IDF forces in the Jabaliya refugee camp, fighter jets, directed by intelligence, targeted and killed Ibrahim Biyari. He was the commander of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades’ Jabaliya Central Battalion and one of the leaders of the terrorist attack on October 7 (IDF Twitter account, October 31, 2023). Interviewed by The Washington Post, Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas figure, denied Biyari’s death, claiming he had not been in the refugee camp at the time of the attack (The Washington Post, November 1, 2023).

Rocket fire

• The Palestinian terrorist organizations continued launching rockets at Israel during the IDF’s ground entry into the Gaza Strip. Several barrages were launched at the center of the country.
• So far more than 8,500 rockets and mortar shells have been launched at Israel since the beginning of the war. About 10% of them were failed launches that landed in the Gaza Strip and in the sea.

Israeli casualties

• So far, over 1,400 civilian and soldier deaths have been reported; 242 civilian and soldier abductees are still being held by the terrorist organizations inside the Gaza Strip. Thirty-five of the abductees are children and adolescents under the age of 18, 32 are over the age of 65. Five abductees have been released. Eighteen soldiers have been killed since the start of the Gaza ground maneuver.

The issue of the abductees

• According to reports, senior Thai officials held direct talks with Hamas officials in Iran regarding the fate of 22 Thai citizens abducted by Hamas. Areepen Uttarasin, appointed head of the Thai delegation by the speaker of the Thai Parliament, held a press conference where he said that the three-member delegation had held a two-hour meeting with senior Hamas figures in Iran, who assured them the Thai abductees were being taken care of. However, he said, the senior Hamas figures could not specify the date of their release for fear of Israeli attacks. He added that after the talks, the members of the Thai delegation, all Muslims, prayed together with the Hamas representatives. The members of the delegation also met with senior officials of the Iranian government, where a list of the Thai abductees was given to both the representatives of Iran and Hamas (Jakarta Post, November 2, 2023; The Nation, a Thai website, November 1, 2023).

The Gaza Strip

Palestinian casualties

• Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, reported that as of 1:00 p.m. the number of dead in the Gaza Strip stood at 9,061 and the number of wounded at 32,000 (Palinfo website, November 2, 2023).

The situation in Gaza

• The ministry of health in Gaza claimed that the main generator of the Indonesian Hospital had stopped working (Shehab, November 2, 2023). The director general of hospitals in the Gaza Strip claimed that the dialysis machines at the Indonesian Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip had stopped working because fuel for operating the main generator at the hospital had run out (QudsN Twitter account, November 2, 2023).
• The previous day, the IDF spokesman disclosed a conversation between a commander of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades’ West Jabalia Battalion and a resident of the Gaza Strip, with the participation of the director of the Indonesian Hospital, in which it was stated that Hamas took fuel from the hospital and used it for its own purposes (IDF spokesman, November 1, 2023).

UNRWA

• Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA’s media information officer in the Gaza Strip, who was interviewed near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, said UNRWA’s stock of fuel in the Gaza Strip was likely to last for two days and if it ran out UNRWA would not be able to provide services in the Gaza Strip. He called for fuel to be delivered immediately to the Gaza Strip (Al-Ed Channel, November 1, 2023).

The Rafah Crossing

• The Rafah Crossing opened for the second consecutive day to allow 400 Palestinians with foreign citizenship to leave and for the transfer of 60 wounded from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in Egypt (QudsN Twitter account, November 2, 2023).

• Isma’il Khairat, assistant Egyptian foreign minister for consular affairs abroad, met with ambassadors and representatives of foreign countries to inform them of the efforts that Egypt was making to open the Rafah Crossing. He reviewed the preparations being made by concerned parties in Egypt, who, he claimed, were working to facilitate the reception and evacuation of the foreign citizens from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing. He said there were about 7,000 foreign citizens from more than 60 countries (Egyptian ministry of foreign affair Facebook page, November 2, 2023).

The Northern Arena

Lebanon

The situation in on the ground

• Hezbollah terrorist operatives continued attacking IDF positions on the northern border. A surface-to-air missile was launched by Hezbollah at an IDF UAV on the northern border. During the night, several missiles were launched from Lebanon attacking the regions of Mount Dov and Hermon; the missiles fell in open areas. The IDF responded by firing artillery and destroying the launchers. IDF forces also attacked military facilities and anti-tank launching positions and foiled the activities of several squads which intended to launch anti-tank missiles and rockets at Israel (IDF spokesman, November 2, 2023 ).

   
Attack on Hezbollah military-terrorist facilities (IDF website, November 1, 2023)

• Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks, including the destruction of a UAV in the area of al-Malkiya and Hunin in south Lebanon (Hezbollah’s combat propaganda unit, November 2, 1, 2023).

Hezbollah fatality

• Hezbollah reported the death of Ali Ramez Hamza, aka Haidar Ali, from the village of Jumayjimah in south Lebanon, who was killed “on the road to Jerusalem.” The announcement did not specify the date or location of the event (Telegram channel of Hezbollah’s combat information unit, November 2, 2023).

UNIFIL

• UNIFIL stated that joint efforts were being made with the Lebanese army to find two Lebanese casualties in the Wasani area, near the border line (UNIFIL Telegram channel, November 1, 2023).

Hezbollah

• Nabil Kawak, a member of Hezbollah’s Central Council, spoke during a ceremony honoring a Hezbollah operative who was killed in the village of Shaqra in south Lebanon. He claimed that their national, legitimate and humane responsibility required Hezbollah to complete the campaign against Israel to exhaust, weaken and defeat it, since the entire campaign today was one and the fate of Lebanon and the region depended on the results of the war in the Gaza Strip. He expressed regret at the indifference of some Arab states to the “massacres and extermination” of the Palestinians and that they also feared Hamas would be victorious. Regarding the protection of the Lebanese, he said they would respond to any Israeli attack on the citizens of Lebanon. He said the United States proved every day that it was “the great Satan” and was responsible for the “massacres” being carried out in the Gaza Strip, therefore, it was only natural that it would bear the consequences of its hostile position towards the Palestinians and pay the price of its intervention in favor of Israel, which had begun in Iraq and Syria and might continue throughout the entire region (al-‘Ahed, November 2, 2023).
• Hezbollah issued a communiqué on behalf of its mujahideen (holy warriors) to the mujahideen in the Gaza Strip, to support them in their fight against the IDF and for their sacrifice. It claimed Israel was as weak as a spider web [an old quote from Hassan Nasrallah] and the “liberation” was near. It also stated that like the operatives in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah operatives had their fingers on the trigger and were fighting the “enemy of Allah.” The operatives in the Gaza Strip were called on to strike the IDF, noting that the Palestinian and Hezbollah martyrs were “the road to Jerusalem” until victory (Hezbollah’s combat propaganda unit, November 1, 2023).

Judea, Samaria, and the Palestinian Authority

Shooting attack

• On the morning of November 2, 2023, shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle near the community of Shavei Shomron (east of Tulkarm). The vehicle overturned and the driver, an Israeli civilian, was killed. IDF forces searched for the perpetrators and blocked roads near the site of the attack (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, November 2, 2023).

Thwarting terrorist attacks

• About three weeks ago, Israeli security forces detained two residents of the Shuafat refugee camp inside an apartment they used as an explosives laboratory. During questioning, the two confessed they had planned to carry out an attack and had conspired with a terrorist organization in Judea and Samaria. Chemical materials and equipment for making explosives were found in their apartment (Facebook page of the Israel Police, November 2, 2023).

Preventive and counterterrorism activities

• The Israeli security forces continued their extensive counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinians reported and documented the activity of security forces in Qalqilya, Silwad and al-Bireh. According to reports, 57 Palestinians were detained (Wafa, November 2, 2023). The ministry of health in Ramallah reported 132 fatalities in Judea and Samaria since the beginning of the war in Gaza. In the past day, three Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces, and one Palestinian died after being seriously wounded several days ago during clashes with security forces in Nablus (Wafa, November 2, 2023).

   
The weapons confiscated during the activity (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, November 1, 2023)

Solidarity demonstrations

• Marches in support of the Gaza Strip continued throughout Judea and Samaria. On the evening of November 1, 2023, mass marches were held in Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and Tulkarm (al-Jazeera TV website, November 1, 2023).

   
Right: A march in Ramallah (SND Twitter account, November 1, 2023). Left: A march in Nablus (@quds_feed Twitter account, November 1, 2023)

Palestinian Authority

• PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with Lord Tariq Ahmed, Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa. Shtayyeh asked the British government to call for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to the Gaza Strip. He said the priority of the PA government was to stop the Israeli aggression, bring in aid, treat the wounded and use diplomacy to attain a fair and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian issue, based on international legitimacy and UN resolutions (Wafa, November 1, 2023).
• Shtayyeh also met with the deputy director general of the UN World Food Program (WFP), with whom he discussed ways to increase the aid of food, medicine and clothing to the residents of the Gaza Strip. Shtayyeh stressed the need to coordinate efforts with the Palestinian Red Crescent and the other aid and UN agencies operating in the Gaza Strip to ensure that aid reached as many residents as possible. He said the PA, together with the Egyptians, was monitoring the entry of aid through various channels (Wafa, November 1, 2023).

   
Right: Shtayyeh meets with Lord Tariq Ahmed. Left: Meeting with the deputy director general of the UN World Food Program (Facebook page of Mohammad Shtayyeh, November 1, 2023)

Iran

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi again accused the United States of responsibility for the “crimes Israel was committing in Gaza.” In a speech in the city of Sanandaj, he claimed that “crimes against humanity” were being committed in Gaza and the world now understood that the United States was their source, and that those who purported to defend human rights were the greatest violators of human rights. He added that many countries understood that the Islamic Republic was the protector of the oppressed in the world (Fars, November 2, 2023).
• Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, Iranian foreign minister, met in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss developments in the Palestinian arena and the region (Tasnim, November 1, 2023).
• Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC, speaking to Basij commanders in Tehran, said that the enemies would never win in Gaza and that the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip could not delay Israel’s early collapse. He noted Gaza had created the potential for decades of revenge in the hearts of Muslims and that the world was united today against the United States more than ever. According to him, the enemy understood only the path of jihad (Tasnim, November 2, 2023).
• The Lebanese newspaper Nedaa al-Watan reported that Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Qods Force, had arrived in Beirut on October 31, 2023. It was noted that it was not Qaani’s first visit to Lebanon since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip (Nedaa al-Watan, November 1, 2023).
• Mujtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, addressed the possibility of the war’s spreading, writing, “Those who call for the obligation to prevent the spread of the war must prevent [Israel’s] barbaric behavior. The equation is simple: the greater the Zionist barbarism against Gaza, the greater the war and the greater the resistance” (Twitter account of the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, November 1, 2023).
• Ayatollah Ahmad Alam al-Hoda, Friday prayer leader in the city of Mashhad and representative of the Iranian Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi Province, said at a student meeting in support of the Palestinians that the war in “Palestine” was also Iran’s war, with the difference that “Iran stands behind the front” (snn.ir, November 1, 2023).

Activity of pro-Iranian militias

Iraq

• Abdul Aziz al-Mohammedawi, the chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization, which mainly includes the pro-Iranian militias, convened a meeting of senior members of the organization and reviewed the recent events and the “security challenges” in the region. He instructed the organization to be on maximum alert for dealing with any emergency in the coming days and stressed the high readiness of the fighters in all sectors to defend the sovereignty and borders of the state (Popular Mobilization website, November 2, 2023).

Yemen^[2]

• Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarieh reported that they had launched a series of drones at several targets deep inside Israel and had reached their targets. He also said the Yemeni armed forces continued to carry out their military operations in support of the Palestinian people (Yahya Sarieh’s Telegram channel, November 1, 2023).
• Muhammad al-Bakhiti, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, said they were currently in a state of open war with “the Zionist entity” and they had to emphasize to everyone that their motives for conducting the campaign were “humanitarian and moral, in accordance with the values of the Qur’an.” He stressed that as part of their moral obligation, they would continue their military operations deep inside Israel until Israel stopped its “aggression against our Palestinian brothers” (al-Bakhiti’s Twitter account, November 1, 2023).
• In another statement, he addressed the Saudi Arabians and tried to encourage them to act against their government and “fulfill their jihadi responsibility” on the Palestinian issue. He noted that the Saudi government’s insistence on cooperating with the United States and Israel was not to their honor. He warned that granting Saudi Arabia protection by the United States was a trap intended to embroil Saudi Arabia in a war that would result in failure and that did not absolve them of their jihadi responsibility to enlist alongside them as individuals and groups (Muhammad al-Bakhiti’s Twitter account, November 2, 2023).
• Ali Baraka, a member of the Hamas leadership “abroad,” congratulated the Yemeni armed forces that intervened alongside the Palestinians. In a statement to the al-Masirah network (the Houthi media network), he said the launch of missiles and UAVs from Yemen was a message that Yemen would not allow the Palestinians to be isolated. He stressed that the consequences of Operation al-Aqsa Storm would not remain in Gaza and that Israel only understood the language of force and resistance. He also stressed that Operation al-Aqsa Storm had opened the door to liberation and that the possibility of defeating Israel had become a reality, and the people of the nation had to prepare for the imminent liberation campaign (SABA News Agency, November 2, 2023).
• In another statement, he said Yemen’s actions were tantamount to an announcement of Yemen’s participation in Operation al-Aqsa Storm. He expressed appreciation for the position of the Yemeni leadership, government and people in support of the Palestinians and their resistance, which included this advanced step of participating in the jihad campaign against “the Zionist enemy.” He claimed that would resonate greatly in Israel, since the participation of a country such as Yemen, which controlled the most important straits and water routes, would have an impact on the course of the Palestinian cause. Baraka called on the free nations to continue condemning and expressing their opposition to the Israeli-American aggression against the Gaza Strip and to exert pressure on their rulers to awaken from their deep slumber (Yemeni SABA News Agency, November 1, 2003).

The Arab Arena

Jordan

• The Jordanian foreign ministry issued a statement on behalf of Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, saying that he had decided to recall the Jordanian ambassador to Israel “as an expression of Jordan’s position and condemnation of the humanitarian disaster Israel is maintaining in the Gaza Strip, which will threaten the security of the entire region and international peace” (Twitter account of the Jordanian foreign ministry, November 1, 2023).
• King Abdullah II of Jordan made a round of visits to countries in the region where he called for increased international pressure to bring about a ceasefire:
  • During his visit to Qatar, he met with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad. He noted that caution had to be taken against the expansion of the cycle of violence to other regions and called for action to achieve a just peace based on the two-state solution. He stressed that civilians had to be protected and humanitarian aid had to be allowed to enter without hindrance (Petra, November 1, 2023). The Emir of Qatar said they condemned any violation of Palestinian rights and supported the establishment of a Palestinian state (al-Jazeera, November 1, 2023).
  • In Bahrain, the King of Jordan met with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain and stressed that the war in the Gaza Strip had to be stopped, a humanitarian ceasefire had to be worked out and international efforts to “create a political horizon” had to be intensified (Twitter account of the Jordanian king’s office, November 1, 2023).
  • Meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, it was noted that urgent international action had to be taken to stop the military escalation and provide full protection to civilians (Petra, November 1, 2023).
• The daily Ra’i al-Youm reported that the Jordanian authorities had initiated a series of contacts with the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah and the Hamas leadership to ensure the security of Jordanian airspace during the war, especially when the Houthis launched missiles at Israel. According to the newspaper, Jordan was working to warn the Houthis and make it clear to them that a rocket sent to Eilat and all of Israel could endanger Jordanian territory adjacent to the area. The Jordanians noted they would not hesitate to use every means at their disposal to deal with any missile or shell that crossed their territory (al-Ra’i al-Youm, November 2, 2023).

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman met with American Secretary of State Antony Blinken. They reviewed the strategic relations between the two countries and the efforts to calm the situation in the region (al-Sharq al-Awsat, November 2, 2023). Lloyd Austin, Secretary of the United States Department of Defense, met with Saudi Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman and discussed relations between the countries and joint efforts to promote world peace, along with strengthening security and stability (al-Sharq al-Awsat, Twitter account of the Saudi foreign minister, November 1, 2023).
• Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the launch of an aid campaign for the Gaza Strip (al-Arabiya, November 2, 2023).

The International Arena

United States

• John Kirby, spokesman for the American National Security Council, said the United States did not believe Hamas could be involved in the future administration in the Gaza Strip after the war ended. He noted they still did not know who would rule and were working with their partners in the region to see what the administration in the Gaza Strip could and should look like. He noted the United States did not support the permanent settlement of civilians from the Gaza Strip outside it. He also said they did not believe it was time for a general ceasefire, but at the same time, humanitarian ceasefires were needed (Reuters, November 1, 2023).

^[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications. ↑
^[2] For more information on the Houthi activity against Israel since the beginning of the war, see the ITIC's Information Bulletin from November 2, 2023, "The Houthi Movement and Operation Iron Swords" ↑

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