Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., December 3, 2023)

Overview^[1]

• The release of the hostages: Following the extension of the temporary ceasefire, another group of hostages was returned to Israel on the night of November 30. Efforts to extend the temporary ceasefire and return additional hostages failed since Hamas did not honor its commitment, and on the morning of December 1, 2023, fighting in the Gaza Strip resumed. Senior Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ) terrorists continued to state they were prepared to continue negotiations, however, Saleh al-‘Arouri unequivocally announced there would be no negotiations before a comprehensive ceasefire, closing the door to further efforts.
• The combat arena: Integrated IDF forces resumed fighting in the northern, central and southern Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue firing rockets and mortar shells at Israel. Since the beginning of the integrated ground maneuver, IDF forces have located more than 800 shafts of Hamas tunnels and have destroyed approximately 500 of them.
• According to an unofficial estimate, since October 7 approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 398 of them soldiers and officers (including three bodies); 136 civilian and military hostages are being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, 17 of them women and children; 113 hostages have been returned to Israel.
• The Gaza Strip: Another field hospital was established in Rafah. The spokesman for the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip reported the hospitals were operating beyond full capacity.
• The northern sector: With the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah resumed its attacks on the Israel-Lebanon border. So far, it has claimed responsibility for 17 attacks. The IDF responded with artillery fire and airstrikes. A launch attempt was made from Syria and failed.
• Judea and Samaria: Palestinian terrorists attempted a stabbing and a hit and run attack. Two IDF soldiers were injured. Mahmoud Abbas and Muhammad Shtayyeh met with Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, who visited Ramallah. The heads of Palestinian human rights organizations refused to meet with him on the grounds that he was biased towards Israel.
• Iran: Senior government officials in Iran said they regretted the renewal of fighting and called on international bodies to put pressure on Israel and the United States. The Iranian foreign minister warned that the continuation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip could lead to the spread of the war. Pro-Iranian militias have renewed their threats to act against Israel.
• The international arena: Arab and Western officials expressed regret at the resumption of the fighting and called for a ceasefire and renewed negotiations for the return of the hostages.

Release of the Hostages and the Cancellation of the Temporary Ceasefire

• On November 30, 2023, more hostages were released in two groups. At around 5 p.m. two hostages were released and only after several hours and many delays, six more were released and returned to Israel.
• “Egyptian sources” said Hamas claimed that the hostages on the list for release on the eighth day of the temporary ceasefire were “the last women and children they could find,” and therefore according to the sources, Hamas asked for more time to contact other terrorists in the Gaza Strip who were holding other hostages (al-Araby al-Jadeed, November 30, 2023).
• On the night of November 30, 2023, there was a serious dispute over the list of hostages that Hamas was prepared to release in order to extend the temporary ceasefire for another day. Israel made it clear that if ten hostages were not found alive, it would return to fighting. By the morning Hamas had not submitted a relevant list for discussion (corresponding to the agreement reached through the United States, Egypt and Qatar), and the fighting resumed. The Israeli prime minister’s office reported that Hamas had not met its commitments to the agreement, had not released all the women and children hostages and had fired rockets at Israel, and therefore Israel would resume the fighting to free the hostages, eliminate Hamas, and ensure that the Gaza Strip would never again pose a threat to the residents of Israel (website of the prime minister, December 1, 2023).

Reactions to the cancellation of the temporary ceasefire

• The Egyptian foreign ministry condemned the collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of the “attacks and violent actions” against the Gaza Strip. According to the announcement, Egypt considered the continued aggression as Israel’s “disrespect for all the efforts made in recent days to extend the temporary ceasefire.” Egypt warned of the consequences of expanding Israel’s military operations and called on international authorities to take responsibility to protect the Palestinians (Facebook page of the Egyptian foreign ministry, December 1, 2023).
• Hamas blamed Israel for the resumption of the war, claiming that during the night Israel had refused every offer to release the hostages because “it had already decided to renew the aggression.” Hamas claimed that during the nighttime negotiations it had offered several proposals, such as exchanging prisoners and the elderly and handing over the bodies of hostages who they claimed were killed by IDF attacks. Hamas also blamed the United States for “continuing war crimes” because of its absolute support for Israel (Hamas Telegram channel, December 1, 2023).
• Senior Hamas terrorist Osama Hamdan claimed that Israel and the American government were responsible for ending the temporary ceasefire. He claimed the main “dispute” was Israel’s position on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian issue. He claimed they had been working “seriously” to reach a ceasefire even after Israel had resumed its ” aggression,” claiming they were open to any measure consistent with “the interests of the Palestinian people” that would stop the “aggression” (al-Jazeera, December 1, 2023).
• On another occasion, Osama Hamdan claimed Israel had been waiting for the green light from the United States to “complete its aggression” against the Gaza Strip, and it happened during the meeting of Anthony Blinken, United States secretary of state, with the War Cabinet in Tel Aviv on November 30. Hamdan [falsely] claimed Israel was lying when it accused Hamas of violating the temporary ceasefire. He claimed they had presented Israel with three proposals for extending the temporary ceasefire, but on the seventh day it became clear that Israel was trying to change the terms of the agreement, after Israel had consistently tried to violate the understandings (al-Manar TV website, December 2, 2023).
• Senior Hamas terrorist Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, claimed that Israel used the [alleged] “lie” that Hamas had launched a rocket from the Gaza Strip to resume the fighting, thereby trying to justify the attacks and the “massacre” of defenseless residents. He claimed only Israel was responsible for ending the temporary ceasefire (Izzat al-Rishq’s Telegram channel, December 2, 2023).
• Senior PIJ terrorist Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy PIJ secretary general, emphasized that his organization had played an important role behind Hamas in forcing the temporary ceasefire and carrying out the exchange. He claimed that the PIJ’s position was actually a permanent ceasefire, but they had agreed to a humanitarian temporary ceasefire and the exchange of women and children because it could create a new dynamic for further deals and pauses in the fighting which lead to a [permanent] ceasefire. He claimed that despite Israel’s [alleged] “repeated violations” of the conditions of the exchange agreement, the humanitarian temporary ceasefire benefited the Palestinians. It enabled people to check their homes, the hospitals could regroup and take stock of the situation, and the dead could be buried. He predicted that despite the renewal of the “aggression” against Gaza, there might be pressure for discussions on further ceasefires, but according to different rules for classifying the remaining hostages, including men, the elderly, those not in [military] service, reservists and officers (aljazeera.net, December 1, 2023).

Efforts to restore the temporary ceasefire and continue the release of the hostages

• Although the fighting resumed, contacts continued in Doha to declare the temporary ceasefire would continue and additional hostages would be returned. “An American source” said that the United States continued to hope that the ceasefire in Gaza would be renewed and Hamas would release more prisoners. According to several sources, Hamas announced that it was “having difficulty” gaining access to four hostages held by “other groups” in the Gaza Strip (The Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2023).
• Hamas announced they were willing to continue discussing the terms of the temporary ceasefire and the return of more hostages:
  • Senior Hamas terrorist Osama Hamdan said they had informed the mediators that they were willing to renew the temporary ceasefire, and that the ball was now in the American court. He claimed Israel lied when it wanted them to release two soldiers on the grounds they were civilians, in violation of the terms of the cease-fire agreement (al-Jazeera Mubasher, December 1, 2023).
  • Senior terrorist Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told al-Jazeera that the issue of prisoners could not be finalized during a war, and demanded that the “aggression” be stopped, saying only then would Hamas negotiate a prisoner exchange. He said there would be different conditions for the release of each category of prisoners. He claimed Hamas was prepared for a new temporary ceasefire to release the elderly hostages under specific conditions and that talks on a deal to release soldiers could only take place during a complete ceasefire (Hamas Telegram channel, December 1, 2023).
  • Senior terrorist Zaher Jabarin, who holds the Hamas prisoner portfolio, claimed they had offered to hand over hostages over the age of 60 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners of the same age and that their efforts had not stopped. He also claimed Qatar was continuingits attempts to curb Israel’s “aggression,” and stated the hostages would not be released until the “aggression” ended (al-Mayadeen, December 2, 2023).
  • Senior terrorist Muhammad Nizal, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, stated that “new rules” should be established for the release of the “military hostages.” He claimed they would not be released until all Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails. He denied Hamas had violated the ceasefire, (al-Jazeera Mubasher, December 2, 2023).
• Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement confirming that the negotiations were ongoing between Israel and Hamas for another temporary ceasefire. The foreign ministry complained that attacks in the Gaza Strip were “complicating mediation efforts” and worsening the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, and stated the international community had to act quickly to stop the war. The ministry again condemned harm to civilians and “collective punishment” (Qatari foreign ministry X account, December 1, 2023).
• On December 2, 2023, the talks reached an impasse and Mossad Director Dadi Barnea ordered the Mossad team in Qatar to return to Israel. Israel stated that Hamas had not fulfilled its part of the agreement, and had not released hostages in accordance with the list which it had received and approved. He thanked the director of the CIA, the Egyptian minister of intelligence and the prime minister of Qatar for participating in the mediation efforts that led to the release of 84 Israeli women and children and 24 foreign citizens (prime minister’s office website, December 2, 2023).
• Senior Hamas terrorist Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, put an end to the idea of another temporary ceasefire when he said there were no negotiations regarding a ceasefire and the official, final position of Hamas and the “resistance” [Palestinian terrorist organizations] was that there would be no exchange deal until the end of the “aggression” and a complete ceasefire. He claimed the children and women had not been targeted but had “arrived in the Gaza Strip” due to “unusual circumstances.” Hamas, he claimed, was prepared to release them in exchange for the women and children in Israeli jails and in exchange for an international commitment of aid for the Palestinians. That issue, he claimed, had ended, adding [falsely] that the hostages remaining in Gaza were soldiers and civilians who served in the IDF, and they would not negotiate the POW issue until the end of the fighting. Regarding the bodies of Israelis, he claimed they needed time to retrieve them. According to senior Hamas terrorist Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, there were approximately 60 bodies and most of them were under the rubble. Regarding the men, he noted that they had served in the army and some were still in the reserves, and there were “other criteria” for them. He said they were no longer talking about partial exchanges and partial temporary ceasefires, and they were planning to continue the fighting (al-Jazeera TV website, December 2, 2023).

The Combat Arena

• On the morning of December 1, 2023, after Hamas violated the ceasefire and rockets were fired at Israel, fighting resumed in the Gaza Strip. Integrated IDF forces operated in the areas of Jabalia and Shejaiya in the northern Gaza Strip, Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip and Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
• Ahmed al-Bata, a correspondent for al-Arabi TV in Khan Yunis, reported the IDF was shooting and attacking in the eastern Khan Yunis area, the city of Khan Yunis, the center of the Gaza Strip and the Rafah area. He said the number of casualties was increasing and ambulances with casualties continued to arrive at Nasser Hospital (al-Arabi YouTube channel, December 3, 2023).
• IDF activity on the ground: IDF forces carried out simultaneous operations in a number of locations throughout the Strip. In conjunction with the air force, they attacked terrorist squads and senior military-terrorist operatives, and destroyed facilities used for regrouping. A mosque used by the PIJ as an operational headquarters and for storing weapons was destroyed (IDF spokesperson, December 1-3, 2023). During the operations in the northern Gaza Strip, large quantities of weapons were found, including about 30 Grad rockets (with a range of ten kilometers). Other rockets were found hidden under UNRWA boxes (IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023).

   
Right: UNRWA boxes. Left: the rockets found under the boxes
(IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023)

• On December 2, 2023, IDF forces located and destroyed a Hamas tunnel shaft dozens of meters deep, that was located in the courtyard of a school compound and another shaft in the house of a terrorist operative belonging to Hamas’ naval force near the Jabalia refugee camp (IDF website, December 2, 2023).

     
Right: The tunnel shaft located in the school compound.
Left: Weapons (IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023)

     
IDF forces in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023)

• Aerial activity: On the night of December 1, 2023, the IDF attacked more than 400 terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, more than 50 of which were in Khan Yunis (IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023). The following day, the IDF continued attacking tunnel shafts, military headquarters, munitions warehouses and terrorist cells (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023).

   
The IDF attacks terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, December 1, 2, 2023)

   
The IDF attacks terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, December 1, 2023)

   
Right: Israeli Air Force attacks in Khan Yunis (Hassan Aslih’s X account, December 1, 2023). Left: Israeli Air Force attack in Rafah (QUDSN X account, December 1, 2023)

     
Right: IDF attacks in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City (QudsN X account, December 3, 2023). Left: Israeli Air Force attacks in northern Khan Yunis (Shehab X account, December 3, 2023)

• Naval activity: Israeli Navy forces attacked the Khan Yunis harbor and Deir al-Balah in the southern Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas military targets, facilities and equipment used by the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades’ naval commandos (IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023).
• Since the beginning of the ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip, IDF forces have located more than 800 Hamas tunnel shafts, of which approximately 500 have been destroyed. They were located in or near educational institutions, kindergartens, mosques and playgrounds. Large quantities of weapons had been left behind in some of the shafts; kilometers of tunnels were destroyed (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023)

Reactions to the resumption of the fighting

• Nabil Abu Radina, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas’ office, condemned the renewal of “aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the “crimes of the occupation in Judea and Samaria,” and said Mahmoud Abbas had demanded the humanitarian aid be doubled and basic services be provided to the Gaza Strip. He also claimed the United States was responsible for the renewal of Israel’s “aggression”
• Senior terrorist Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, claimed that the Palestinian people, with their “firm stand,” and the bravery of the “resistance” [terrorist operatives] were dealing with “the crimes of the enemy, the renewal of its aggression and harming civilians.” He claimed that what Israel had not achieved during the 50 days before the ceasefire, it would not achieve after the ceasefire (Hamas Telegram channel, December 1, 2023).
• The PIJ issued a statement saying they had responded to all the efforts made in recent days [for continuing the temporary ceasefire] and demonstrated their commitment. However, Israel did not stop violating the ceasefire, and insisted on continuing the war and killing to satisfy the desire for revenge of the senior members of its army and its government, which wanted to show its power, even if it led to the killing of the remaining hostages. The organization then claimed Israel was fully responsible for everything (PIJ media information bureau Telegram channel, December 1, 2023).
• According to senior terrorist Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy PIJ secretary general, the resumption of the fighting reflected an Israeli-American desire to impose new rules on the exchange deal. He claimed Israel wanted to exploit the deal to the fullest and then isolate the Gaza Strip without being under pressure. He said the hostages were their trump cards, and claimed the IDF was unable to gain control of the northern Gaza Strip and had not achieved its goal of eliminating the “resistance” [Hamas and the PIJ]. In the near future, he claimed, it would become clear that Israel could not achieve its goals in the second round of fighting and would be forced to return to the negotiating table for an exchange deal, not according to the conditions it wanted but according to the conditions set by the “resistance” (al-Jazeera Mubasher YouTube channel, December 1, 2023).

Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip

• On November 30, 2023, during the temporary ceasefire, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Netivot. On December 1, 2023, around 6 a.m., before the temporary ceasefire ended, another rocket was fired at Israel. Later, starting at 7 a.m., rockets and mortar shells were fired. Most of the shooting focused on the cities, towns and villages surrounding the Gaza Strip. Several barrages were launched at the southern coastal cities of Ashqelon and Ashdod. On the evening of December 2, 2023, a barrage of about ten rockets was launched at the center of Israel. Several people were injured by shrapnel. A packing plant in one of the kibbutzim was heavily damaged..

• Referring to the rocket fire, senior terrorist Daoud Shehab, who is in charge of the PIJ’s media information bureau, said that the “message” of the rockets and the combat operations of the Hamas and PIJ military wings was that the “resistance” [terrorist organizations] was fully prepared to continue the campaign “until the end.” He claimed it was possible to reach an agreement to end the war, but Israel did not want one. He claimed that as long as Israel “attacked civilians,” the entire country would remain within the range of their rocket fire (al-Jazeera TV YouTube channel, December 2, 2023).

Israeli casualties

• According to an unofficial estimate, since October 7 approximately 1,200 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 398 of them soldiers and officers (including the bodies of three IDF soldiers ); 136 civilian and military hostages are being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, 17 of them women and children; 113 hostages have been returned.
• The body of one of the hostages kidnapped on October 7 from the Nova Festival was recently located in the Gaza Strip by Israeli security and brought to Israel. (IDF spokesperson, December 1, 2023).

The Gaza Strip

• In preparation for the next phase of the war, the IDF published an interactive map showing the evacuation zones for the residents of the Gaza Strip, divided into neighborhoods. The objective was to allow them to orient themselves, understand the instructions and evacuate from specific places if they were required to do so to remain safe (IDF spokesperson, December 1, 2023).

Palestinian casualties

• The Hamas-controlled government media information bureau in Gaza reported that as of 7:00 p.m., December 2, 2027, the number of dead stood at more than 15,207 and the number of wounded at more than 40,650 (Shehab X account, November 27, 2023).
• The IDF spokesperson announced the death of Wissam Farhat, killed in an airstrike. He was the commander of the Shejaiya Battalion of Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, holding the position since 2010. In 1995, en route to carrying out a suicide attack in Israel, he was arrested by the security forces and imprisoned for ten years. Returning to Gaza, he manufactured rockets for Hamas during Operation Protective Edge, and was responsible for launching an anti-tank missile at an IDF APC, killing six soldiers. He also participated in planning the attack on October 7, during which terrorists under his command operated mainly in the Nahal Oz area (IDF account X, December 2, 2023).

• Dr. Sufian Tayeh, the chairman of the Islamic University in Gaza, was reported to have been killed in an Israeli Air Force attack in the al-Fallujah area of Jabaliya on December 2, 2023. He held degrees in theoretical physics and applied mathematics, and in 2023 was appointed the head of UNESCO’s department of physical sciences, astrophysics and space in the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA ministries of higher education and culture issued mourning notices for him (al-Araby al-Jadeed, December 2, 2023).

• The death of Muntaser al-Sawaf was reported. He was a photographer for al-Anadolu News, Turkey, and was killed along with his brother Marwan in an attack on the al-Daraj neighborhood in southern Gaza City. Muntaser was the son of the journalist Mustafa al-Sawaf, who was killed on November 17, 2023 in an attack on his family’s house (Wafa, December 1, 2023).
• Samah, the daughter of senior terrorist Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed along with her children in an attack in Gaza City. Samah’s husband, Ahmed Rajab Awad, was killed in a targeted attack in November 2006 (Ma’an, December 2, 2023; alleader8850839’s X account, December 1, 2023).

The situation in the hospitals

• Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, said the hospitals in the Gaza Strip were working at full capacity and were unable to admit additional casualties. He said the occupancy in the hospitals in the Gaza Strip currently stood at 171% and in intensive care at 221% (al-Ghad TV, December 3, 2023).
• On December 2, 2023, a field hospital was opened in Rafah, constructed by the UAE at a cost of $2 million. The hospital is located in the municipal stadium of Rafah and has 20 beds, three operating rooms and an ICU. It is equipped with advanced photography and X-ray machines, brought into the Strip through the Rafah crossing during the temporary ceasefire (Sky News channel in Arabic, December 2, 2023).

   
Opening of the hospital in Rafah donated by the UAE (QudsN X account, December 2, 2023)

• “A military source in the Jordanian military command” reported that for the third time since the start of hostilities, a Jordanian Air Force plane delivered medical equipment to the Jordanian field hospital in the Gaza Strip. According to reports the army forces, in cooperation with the Jordanian Hashemite charity organization, had established an air lift of 14 planes of humanitarian equipment to provide first aid for the wounded in the Strip (Jordanian army website, November 30, 2023).

Aid for Gaza Strip

• The Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza reported that 100 humanitarian aid trucks had arrived through the Rafah crossing bringing food, water, medicine and medical equipment (Rafah Crossing News Facebook page, December 3, 2023).
• An emergency meeting was held in Amman, Jordan, chaired by King Abdullah II of Jordan, with the participation of Martin Griffiths, the UN emergency relief coordinator, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the president of the Red Cross, and the heads of other international organizations. They discussed the reasons for the delays in the transfer of aid to the Gaza Strip and ways to overcome them (Jordanian royal house website, November 30, 2023). During the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, Abdullah said the international community had to save the residents of the Gaza Strip and put pressure on Israel to allow for the transfer of additional aid (Reuters, November 30, 2023).

The Northern Arena

Lebanon

• After eight days of quiet, corresponding to the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, on December 1, 2023, Hezbollah resumed attacking IDF positions along Israel’s northern border. For the first time since the end of the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah issued a summary of its attacks against the “Israeli enemy army” along the Lebanese border (Hezbollah combat information unit’s Telegram channel, December 1, 2023). So far, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for 17 attacks, six on December 1 and 11 on December 2, 2023.
• In response to Hezbollah’s attacks, the IDF attacked terrorist targets in Lebanese territory with fighter jets, helicopter gunships and artillery. They also attacked a squad about to fire at Israeli territory (IDF spokesperson, December 1-2, 2023).

   
The IDF attacks on Hezbollah facilities (IDF website, December 2, 2023)

• The death of Ibrahim Aqil, 63 years old, was reported. He served as head of Hezbollah operations and had led Hezbollah’s attacks since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, and spearheaded operations for the Radwan force, Hezbollah’s elite unit. He was wanted by the United States for his involvement in attacks on Americans in Lebanon and there was a reward of $7 million for information about him (Kan 11, Israeli TV channel, December 2, 2023).
• According to Lebanese sources, Hezbollah responded to the international and internal Lebanese pressures placed on it to implement Resolution 1701 by claiming that everything implemented in Lebanon also had to be implemented in Israel (Beirut News, December 3, 2023).

Hezbollah casualties

• Hezbollah reported the death of three of its terrorist-operatives (Hezbollah combat information wing, December 1-2, 2023):
  • Muhammad Hussein Mazraani, aka Abu Ali, from Houla in south Lebanon.
  • Wajia Shahada Mashik, aka Yahya, from Wadi Umm ‘Ali (Wadi Umm ‘Ali) in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Khader Salim Aboud, aka Fada’, from Deir Ames in south Lebanon.

• According to reports, on December 1, 2023, a mother and her son were killed in Kafr Houla in south Lebanon when their home was hit in an Israeli attack (al-Nahar, December 1, 2023). It was later revealed that the son was a Hezbollah terrorist operative whose name was on the organization’s list of dead (al-Nahar, December 1, 2023).

UNIFIL

• Arnold Lazzaro, UNIFIL commander, patrolled UNIFIL positions along the Lebanon-Israel border in the southeastern sector (UNIFIL X account, November 30, 2023).

Amal

• According to reports, since the first week of Operation Iron Swords, operatives of the Shi’ite Amal movement have been manning military centers in several towns along the border in south Lebanon. They coordinate with Hezbollah terrorist operatives, since Hezbollah commands the campaign in the field (al-Sharq al-Awsat, December 3, 2023).

The Lebanese government

• Najib Mikati, prime minister of Lebanon’s interim government, met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Summit with Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general of the United Nations; they discussed “Israeli aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the situation in Lebanon. Both noted the importance of implementing Resolution 1701 and stopping “Israeli aggression” in south Lebanon. Mikati also met on the sidelines of the summit with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, and Tamim bin Hamad, the emir of Qatar (Lebanon government account X, December 1, 2023).

Syria

• On December 3, 2023, a rocket was launched at Israel from Syria; it apparently failed. IDF forces attacked the sources of the rocket fire with artillery (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023).
• A military source reported that on December 2, 2023, at around 1:35 a.m., Israel attacked several targets in the Damascus area from the air; the attack came from the direction of the Golan Heights. According to the source, aerial defense systems intercepted most of the missiles; damage to property was reported (SANA, December 2, 2023). Later, the deaths of two non-Syrians were reported (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 2, 2023).
• The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) public relations department announced the deaths of Mohammad Ali Ataee Shoorche and Panah Taqizadeh, killed by Israel during an “advisory mission” in Syria. The announcement also claimed they were “martyred” during the “brutal and relentless crimes” committed against the Gaza Strip” by Israel with American support and with the support of several European governments (Tasnim, December 2, 2023).

     
Right: Mohammad Ali Ataee Shoorche. Left: Panah Taqizadeh
(Free Syrian Channel, December 2, 2023)

• On December 2, 2023, an unidentified UAV attacked a military vehicle of the Zainabiyoun Brigade (an Iranian-sponsored Pakistani-Shi’ite militia operating in Syria) near the railway crossing in the Albukamal area (Deir ez-Zor 24, December 2, 2023). A Syrian source reported that the three operatives in the vehicle were killed.

Judea and Samaria

Terrorist attacks

Stabbing near Nablus

• At noon on December 2, 2023, a Palestinian arrived at the roadblock at the intersection near Nablus. The IDF force at the scene was suspicious and began questioning him. The Palestinian pulled out a knife and began advancing towards the force. The fighters shot and killed him (IDF spokesperson, December 2, 2023).

Attempted hit and run attack

• A Palestinian drove to a military roadblock, near Bek’aot (eastern Samaria) and tried to run over the IDF soldiers stationed at the site. He was shot and killed (IDF spokesperson, November 120, 2023). The ministry of health in Ramallah reported the death of Karem Khaled Muhammad Bani Odeh, 25 years old from Tammun (south of Tubas).

   
Right: Karam Bani Odeh. Left: Scene of the attack (Arabi48 website, November 30, 2023)

Counterterrorism activities

• On December 2, 2023, Israeli security forces operated in Judea and Samaria to detain wanted Palestinians. They confiscated a large quantity of weapons, as well as parts of a lathe used in the manufacture of weapons. In al-Bireh they sealed a printing press used to print inflammatory material (IDF website, December 2, 2023). Parts of weapons were found in the Nablus regions, as well as a lathe used to manufacture weapons (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023). As of December 3, 2023, since the beginning of the war, approximately 2,100 wanted Palestinians have been detained in Judea and Samaria, approximately 1,100 of whom are suspected Hamas terrorist operatives (IDF spokesperson, December 3, 2023).

• The Commander of the IDF Home Front Command signed an order for the confiscation and temporary sealing of two houses in east Jerusalem of two terrorists who carried out the shooting attack at the entrance to Jerusalem on November 30, 2023, in which four Israeli civilians were murdered and several others injured (IDF spokesperson, December 1, 2023).
• On December 2, 2023, violent clashes were reported between settlers and Palestinians near the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan in Samaria (Israeli media, December 2, 2023). The Palestinians claimed that a 38 year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by an Israeli settler (Wafa, December 2, 2023). The IDF spokesperson stated a report was received of a riot between Palestinians and Israeli civilians in the Bani Hasan area, IDF forces were deployed and responded with riot-dispersal measures and fired shots into the air. According to reports, the Palestinian claim about a Palestinian’s being killed is being investigated (Israeli media, December 2, 2023).

Support for the Gaza Strip

• Hamas claimed that in view of the “continuing Zionist aggression against the Gaza Strip, the escalation of crimes against our people in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, and the injury to Palestinian prisoners in prisons,” they were renewing their call to the Arab and Islamic public to continue acts of solidarity with the Palestinian people and escalate the protests this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday (December 1-3) “in all the cities, capital cities and squares of the world (Hamas Telegram channel, November 30, 2023).
• Senior Hamas terrorist Haroun Nasser al-Din urged the Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem to support the Palestinians by claiming that Israel did not discriminate in its “aggression” between the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria, and was [allegedly] preparing “settler militias, displacement plans and other plans aimed at total control of the land.” He called on the Palestinians to arm themselves with everything they could find and attack Israel (Hurriya News, December 2, 2023). Senior Hamas terrorist Abd al-Rahman Shadeed also called for an escalation of the conflicts Judea and Samaria after the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip (Hurriya News, December 1, 2023).
• On December 1, 2023, after the Friday prayer, marches were held throughout Judea and Samaria in support of the Gaza Strip (Hurriya News, December 1, 2023).

   
Right: A march in Hebron (QudsN X account, December 1, 2023). Left: A march in Ramallah
(X account of the SND website, December 1, 2023)

The Palestinian Authority (PA)

• Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, met with American Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian arena and efforts to stop the “aggression” against the Palestinian people. Abbas stressed that the current ceasefire had to be established and that the amount of medical aid, food, electricity and fuel entering the Gaza Strip had to be increased. He called on Blinken to compel Israel to stop its “violations against the prisoners and the Palestinian people” (Wafa, November 30, 2023).
• Mahmoud Abbas said the United States bore responsibility for the “crimes of the occupation” because it did not force Israel to stop its aggression against the Palestinians. He called on the countries of the world to intervene to stop the “aggression” and “bring the war criminals to justice.” He said they would continue to act on the international level on the issue. He also stressed security and military solutions would not bring security, peace or stability and that the only way was recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of a Palestinian state (Wafa, December 2, 2023).
• Mahmoud Abbas met with Karim Khan, prosecutor general of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who visited the region, and updated him on developments in the Palestinian arena, especially in light of the “ongoing Israeli aggression” in the Gaza Strip and the “Israeli violations” in Judea and Samaria. Abbas called for speeding up the ICC’s investigations and bringing the “Israeli war criminals” to justice. He also called for doubling humanitarian aid and reiterated his opposition to the forced displacement of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem (Wafa, December 2, 2023). PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh also met with Karim Khan and demanded that he speed up the investigation of the Palestinian files. He said “Palestine” was a test for the ICC in The Hague, noting that the fact that Israel had not been prosecuted in the past caused it to act as a state above the law (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, December 2, 2023).

     
Right: Mahmoud Abbas meets with Karim Khan (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, December 2, 2023). Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh meets with Karim Khan (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, December 2, 2023)

• Palestinian human rights organizations reportedly refused to meet with the prosecutor general during his visit to Ramallah, accusing him of unequal treatment between the Israeli and Palestinian sides in his handling of human rights accusations and issues (al-Quds al-Arabi, December 2, 2023).
• Dr. Munir Nuseibah, a lecturer in international law at al-Quds University, said following the prosecutor general’s visit that international law “had no teeth” and that in the past, Israel had managed to evade international prosecution. Therefore, he said, what was needed was international pressure on Israel and even the transfer of money from Arab countries to prompt the ICC in The Hague to start handling Palestinian cases (al-Ghad TV, December 3, 2023).

Iran

• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip. Raisi called on the countries of the world, including Japan, to stop Israel’s attacks, deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip, lift the “siege,” and implement the rights of the Palestinian people (ISNA, December 2, 2023).
• Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian foreign minister, spoke with EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip. Abdollahian stressed the need to stop Israel’s attacks in the Gaza Strip and to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip. He warned that if Israel’s “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria continued, the war could spread in the region (Mehr, December 2, 2023).
• The Iranian foreign minister visited the Yemeni embassy in Tehran and expressed his appreciation for Yemen’s support for the Palestinian people (Fars, November 30, 2023). On December 1, 2023, he spoke with his Omani counterpart, Badr al-Busaidi, to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip. Abdollahian noted that during his visit to Beirut last week, he heard from the leaders of the “resistance” that if Israel renewed its attacks, the response of the “resistance” would be harsher than in the past and cause Israel to regret it (Iranian foreign ministry website, December 1, 2023).

Reactions to the renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip

• Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian foreign minister, wrote that there was no solution other than continuing the ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and exchanging prisoners. He noted that the continuation of the Israeli-American war would mean a new genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, and that it seemed the Americans and Israelis did not think about the grave consequences of returning to war. He stressed that the attacks on the Gaza Strip had to be stopped before it was too late (Iranian foreign minister’s X account, December 1, 2023).
• Nasser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, responded to the resumed fighting in the Gaza Strip, saying that the political and legal responsibility for the “continued aggression” in the Gaza Strip rested not only with the “criminals of the Zionist regime” but also with the United States and the few countries that supported Israel. He noted that an absolute majority of the world’s governments wanted a continuation of the ceasefire and a complete cessation of Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, but the Zionists believed they could compensate for their defeat by killing civilians, women and children (Iranian foreign ministry spokesman’s X account, December 1, 2023).
• “Sources close to the Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip” noted that Iran did not provide them with aid on the ground or financial aid during the war, and that Iranian aid consisted of political and diplomatic efforts, like other Muslim countries. According to the report, Iran is behind the “solidarity fronts with the resistance in the Gaza Strip,” but is not interested in expanding the war to other fronts and has no interest in doing so (Al-Rai al-Youm, December 1, 2023).

Pro-Iranian militias

Iraq and Syria

• On December 2, 2023, for the first time since November 23, 2023, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for an attack on an American base at Erbil Airport in Iraq’s Kurdish region. According to the announcement, this was a response to the “crimes” committed by Israel (Resistance Telegram channel, December 2, 2023).
• Immediately after the ceasefire ended, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq declared that it would not leave its operatives alone in the campaign against the world and it would escalate the military activity inside and outside Iraq if the Americans continued to support “the Zionist war machine in Gaza and Lebanon” (Islamic Resistance Telegram channel, November 30, 2023).
• American Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ al-Sudani and asked him to fulfill his government’s commitment to protect military bases hosting American forces in his country (Reuters, December 2, 2023).

Yemen

• According to a security source, an attempted attack in the Red Sea was thwarted and the circumstances of the incident were being investigated (Ynet, December 3, 2023). Shortly before that, the British Army Shipping Organization (UKMTO) announced that it had received an update on the activity of a drone arriving from Yemen in the Bab al-Mandeb area, and apparently on an explosion that occurred in the area. It was also noted that vessels in the area had to follow the instructions and report any suspicious activity to the organization (British Army Shipping Organization X account, December 3, 2023).
• On the afternoon of November 30, 2023, reports surfaced on social media about an explosion that occurred in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. The Saudi al-Hadath TV reported that it was an attack in a closed military zone of the Houthis (Saudi al-Hadath TV, November 30, 2023). Hizam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, noted that the explosion in Sana’a was caused by old bombs left over from the period of fighting against the Saudi-led coalition forces (Hizam al-Assad’s X account, November 30, 2023).

• Before the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Houthi armed forces spokesman Yahya Saria said that if Israel decided to renew its “aggression” in the Gaza Strip, they were prepared to renew their military operations against Israel to include targets that Israel would not expect on land or at sea. He stressed that they would stop their military operations as soon as the “Israeli aggression” against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip stopped (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, November 30, 2023).
• Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi political bureau, said Saudi Arabia had to remove Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad from the list of terrorist organizations and add Israel to the list. According to him, the Yemeni people were the people of jihad and would point their rifles at the real enemy, which was Israel. Addressing the United States, he called on the troops to return to where they came from. Al-Houthi wondered whether the Arab regimes would suffice with holding conferences after the renewed aggression in Gaza (al-Mayadeen, December 2, 2023).
• Muammar al-Ariani, Yemeni minister of information and culture (in the legitimate government that opposes the Houthis), noted that the recent incidents of piracy in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden had verified the information about the coordination and cooperation between the Houthi militia and the terrorist organizations in the region (apparently a reference to the Iranian proxies and the al-Shabaab movement, al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and its environs, known for its piracy activity). According to the Yemeni minister, that indicated cooperation between those terrorist groups under the support, planning and arming of Iran. The minister demanded that the UN include the Houthi militia in the list of terrorist organizations and impose sanctions on it and its leaders (Marebpress.net1.12, December 1, 2023).

The Arab Arena

Jordan

• The Jordanian foreign ministry condemned Israel’s renewed “aggression” against the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to help prevent the aggression that was exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip (Jordanian News Agency, December 1, 2023).
• King Abdullah II of Jordan met with American Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Dubai climate summit and stressed the need for the United States to play a leading role in pushing for a political horizon on the Palestinian issue to achieve peace based on the two-state solution. King Abdullah called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and warned of the consequences of continuing the war on international security that could drag the region into disaster. Both parties also stressed their rejection of any attempt to forcibly uproot the residents of the Gaza Strip or retake any part of the Strip (Petra, December 2, 2023).
• On December 1, 2023, thousands of people participated in a popular march that left after Friday prayers from the al-Husseini Mosque in Amman to protest the continued “aggression” against the Gaza Strip. The participants demanded that the government escalate its measures, sever ties with Israel, cancel the gas agreements, and recall the Jordanian ambassador to Israel (jo24net1.12, December 1, 2023).

Egypt

• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with American Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of the Dubai climate summit. The parties expressed their desire to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, which is important for maintaining security in the Middle East. They stressed their desire to deepen consultations and joint coordination in the near future in all areas. They also discussed developments in the Gaza Strip. Harris expressed her gratitude to Egypt for investing its efforts in this issue. El-Sisi stressed the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip and said the international community had to work to help the residents (Egyptian presidential spokesman’s Facebook page, December 2, 2023).
• Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also met with French President Emmanuel Macron. El-Sisi reportedly said Egypt supported a ceasefire and the increase of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Both leaders also discussed Egyptian efforts to receive wounded Palestinians and evacuate foreign elements from the Gaza Strip. El-Sisi and Macron stressed the importance of initiating a political process to find a solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution (Egyptian presidential spokesman’s Facebook page, December 1, 2023).
• The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt issued an announcement calling on the Arab and Muslim nations to carry out an “unprecedented uprising” and support the heroic resistance in the Gaza Strip (Araby Post, December 1, 2023).

Qatar

• Tamim bin Hamad, Emir of Qatar, met in Doha with Emmanuel Macron. According to the Emir of Qatar, the meeting was part of Qatar’s ongoing efforts to discuss a ceasefire and de-escalate the situation in the Gaza Strip. He said they were working in all directions to stop the fighting and hoped the international community would play its role and work to achieve permanent quiet in the Gaza Strip (Emir of Qatar’s X account, December 2, 2023).
• In a conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Kamala Harris expressed her appreciation for the efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which led to the release of more than 100 hostages, including American citizens. She stressed that the United States would continue to cooperate closely with Qatar and other partners in the region to push for the release of all the hostages (White House website, December 2, 2023).

Legal conference in Algeria

• On November 29-30, 2023, an international legal conference entitled “Justice for the Palestinian People” was held in Algiers, with the participation of French lawyer Gilles Devers and Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas figure. At the end of the conference, it was decided to file petitions with the Office of the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court and to file criminal prosecutions against senior Israeli officials who committed “crimes” against the Palestinians, in accordance with the legal plan that had been established. They also called for criminal prosecutions against senior officials and individuals who committed crimes against the Palestinians before courts that adopted the principle of universality of punishment. Lawyer Gilles Devers said there were changes in Palestine’s favor regarding international legal authorities. He said he had been handling the case before the International Criminal Court for 14 years, and he had not seen the case handled as quickly as it was this time when an investigative team was set up in the Prosecutor General’s Office, and it met with the team of lawyers who filed the petition with the court (referring to the filing of the petition on November 9, 2023). Sami Abu Zuhri said the event was no less important than the confrontation on the battlefield. He declared that “Palestine” would be liberated only in the way Algeria was liberated, and therefore the October 7 attack was a major step on the road to liberation (al-Quds al-Arabi, November 30 and December 1, 2023).

Condemnation of the Israeli president’s visit to the UAE

• In light of the invitation of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to participate in the UN climate summit held in the UAE, several condemnations were heard:
  • Hamas said it condemned his invitation at a time when Israel was committing “terrible massacres” against the Palestinian people. Hamas hoped that the UAE would act to oppose Herzog’s invitation (Hamas Telegram channel, December 1, 2023).
  • The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued an announcement saying that inviting the president of a country that carries out brutal massacres against Palestinians, encourages Israel to continue committing its “crimes.” They called on the UAE government to refrain from hosting Israeli officials and to expel the Israeli ambassador (PIJ Telegram channel, November 30, 2023).
  • Houthi spokesman Muhammad Abdeslam said the humanitarian climate was “polluted by Israel’s crimes” and those who supported and encouraged it, and that conferences to fight Israel and confront it by all possible means needed to be held (Houthi spokesman’s X account, December 1, 2023).

The International Arena

United Nations

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the resumption of hostilities showed how necessary the humanitarian pause was. He said he regretted the return of the “military operations” in the Gaza Strip and said he hoped the truce could be renewed (UN secretary-general’s X account, December 1, 2023).

United States

• American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin noted that fighting in the Gaza Strip in an area with a civilian population could be a strategic loss for Israel. Therefore, he said, he had made it clear to the Israeli leadership that protecting Palestinian civilians was a moral responsibility as well as a strategic one. Austin said the United States would remain Israel’s closest friend in the world and that they would not let Hamas win (Reuters, December 2, 2023).

France

• French President Emmanuel Macron said that unless Hamas was completely eliminated, the war would continue for ten years, so the Israeli authorities should clarify their objective of eliminating Hamas. He expressed concern about the end of the ceasefire between the sides and claimed that dealing with a terrorist organization should not be through the elimination of an entire region or attacks on the entire civilian infrastructure. As for the efforts to release the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip, he said it would take several days (Agence France-Presse, December 2, 2023).

United Kingdom

• British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad on the sidelines of the climate summit. The two expressed sorrow over the collapse of the humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip (Reuters, December 1, 2023). Sunak also met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, noting Jordan’s vital role in the crisis in the Gaza Strip. He said Britain continued to pressure Israel on the need to comply with international humanitarian law and curb settler violence in the West Bank (British government website, December 1, 20203).

Turkey

• Brian Nelson, the American Department of the Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said he had spoken with his counterparts in Turkey about their deep concern about Hamas’ fundraising activity in Turkey. He noted that Turkey played a prominent role in the fundraising and that he urged it to deal with the exploitation of domestic law by Hamas elements regardless of the sanctions imposed by the United States. Nelson added that the United States would continue to impose massive sanctions against Turkish entities involved in illegal trade with Russia (Reuters, November 30, 2023).^[2]
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip were an act of terrorism and that they could not remain silent about it. He insisted that he could not consider Hamas a terrorist organization, no matter what others said, and stressed that they expected from the International Criminal Court that the perpetrators of the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip headed by Netanyahu, would receive the appropriate punishment (Anadolu News, December 2, 2023).
• According to a “knowledgeable source,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi asked his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to sever economic relations with Israel, and Erdoğan refused. “Sources” close to the Iranian government gave details about the postponement of Iranian President Raisi’s visit to Turkey. It was claimed that NGOs in Turkey had invited Raisi to participate in a rally in support of the Gaza Strip, but the Turkish government decided to cancel the conference after learning that Raisi had been invited. As a result, the Iranian president reportedly postponed his visit to Turkey. It was also reported that Turkey did not support measures that could strengthen Iran’s position in the region on the Palestinian issue, and on the other hand, Iran was not satisfied with Turkey’s position, which sufficed with verbally criticizing Israel and did not take steps that would lead to severing relations with it. The Iranian foreign minister explained that Raisi’s visit had been postponed to allow the foreign ministers of both countries to participate in the Security Council meeting (al-Akhbar, November 30, 2023).

Global Jihad

France

• A man was killed and two people were wounded in a stabbing attack that took place on the night of December 2, 2023, near the Eiffel Tower in the capital Paris. The terrorist, Armand Rajabpour-Miyandoab, a Frenchman of Iranian descent, was apprehended at the scene of the attack. According to French sources, he was known as an ISIS member. He was detained in 2016, and jailed for five years for planning stabbing attacks. At the time of the attack, terrorist screamed “Allahu Akbar” (Agence France-Presse; dailywire.com; kossyderrickent.com, December 2, 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 further information on Hamas' fundraising activity, see the ITIC's Information Bulletin from November 7, 2023, "Financing Terrorism: Currency Exchange in the Service of Hamas" ↑

Related Articles