Israel continues to mop up around the Gaza border after the heinous assault on its sovereignty on October 7. At least 1,000 Hamas terrorists executed a sophisticated land, air, and sea invasion of Southern Israel, leaving 700 people dead. It’s been described as Israel’s 9/11. Terrorists kidnapped children, raped women, and murdered countless civilians in an attack that surprised Israel. Local security forces were overwhelmed as Hamas wreaked havoc along these border communities. Horrific slaughter reports in the many kibbutzim are pouring in—no one was spared. Hamas struck multiple points along the border.
As Israel prepares for a ground invasion, they’ve been hammering Gaza with multiple airstrikes, warning civilians to flee as they plan to turn most known Hamas sites into rubble. In many cases, they’re offering detailed information about the campaign that is to come to mitigate civilian casualties in the strip, which has long been a Jihadi base. Fox News reported that two senior Hamas officials were taken out in airstrikes:
Israeli military strikes have killed two senior Hamas officials, Israeli Defense Forces said.
IDF airstrikes killed Joad Abu Shmalah, the Hamas Minister of Economy in the Gaza Strip, and Zachariah Abu Ma'amar, a senior member of the Hamas' political bureau and head of its office for internal relations.
"Overnight, an IDF aircraft struck Joad Abu Shmalah, the Hamas Minister of Economy in the Gaza Strip. As part of his role, he managed the funding of terrorism inside and outside the Gaza Strip. He held security positions in the terrorist organization and led a number of operations targeting Israeli civilians and the State of Israel," IDF said.
"Overnight, an IDF aircraft struck Zachariah Abu Ma'amar, a senior member of the Hamas terrorist organization's political bureau and head of its office for internal relations. He was a senior Hamas decision-maker and coordinator between terror groups in the Gaza Strip," officials said in a separate statement.
"Abu Ma'amar was part of Hamas’ senior forum, involved in the organization's decision-making and the planning of numerous terror activities against the State of Israel," officials said. "Abu Ma'amar was known as a confidant to Yahya Sinwar, incited against Israel and acted to endanger Israeli civilians."
Israel also reported that the invasion force has mostly been neutralized, with at least 1,500 Hamas terrorists killed in Israeli territory. They’ve also completed evacuations of all the communities along the border, forming an “iron wall” of tanks and other military equipment to protect their citizens from further Hamas attacks. The government of Benjamin Netanyahu declared war over the weekend for the first time since 1973, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists for what appears to be a long war to eradicate Hamas once and for all.
The IDF has urged Palestinian civilians to flee to Egypt through the Rafah crossing (which remains open) as it prepares a crushing response to Hamas terrorists who continue their assault on Israel while embedding themselves in Gaza’s schools, hospitals, and homes.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 10, 2023
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari: We have completed the evacuation of all Israeli communities near the Gaza border. We are forming "an iron wall of tanks, helicopters, and aircraft" to defend civilians against Hamas's terror.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 10, 2023
The IDF confirms reports of a suspected aerial infiltration in northern Israel. It says troops are "directing IDF aircraft and conducting searches" in the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee, saying details will follow. https://t.co/gKhHv9GQd2
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 10, 2023
More than 1,500 Hamas terrorists who carried out an unprecedented, barbaric assault on Israeli civilians have been found dead in Israeli territory. https://t.co/bUXTC0Vgxw
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 10, 2023
The war also has the possibility that it could become a regional conflict, as Iran plotted with Hamas over several weeks to carry out this attack.
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