With the start of the fourth day of the war in the south, the IDF Spokesperson gave an update on the ground forces' activity in the Gaza Perimeter.
"The IDF soldiers in recent days fought battles against terrorists in settlements and the various posts throughout the Gaza Perimeter. The soldiers fought with bravery and determination, in order to restore control in the settlements and posts and seized large amounts of weapons in the possession of the terrorists, while evacuating the wounded who were hit."
The IDF Spokesperson also reported that during the days of combat, soldiers of the 401 Armored Brigade killed dozens of terrorists in the Perimeter settlements, evacuated many wounded, and helped to extract hostages in dozens of places.
At the same time, IDF infantry in the form of soldiers and commanders from the Golani brigade fought long and stubborn firefights at a number of locations including Kissufim, Nativ Ha-Asarah, and Nahal Oz, where they regained control of the settlements and posts and killed the terrorists. Battalion 13 and Battalion 51 have been on the front line since the beginning of the fighting and they were reinforced by Sayeret Golani, Battalion 12, training companies from the brigade training base, and reserve forces of the brigade.
The IDF achieved control of the Gaza Perimeter and the extraction and instruction brigades of Rear Command are now deployed throughout the country. The brigade has worked since the beginning of the fighting to protect the Zikim base and the settlements of the Gaza Perimeter, evacuating residents and maintaining extraction readiness.
The extraction and instruction brigade commander summarized events:
"On the morning of Shabba, Simchat Torah, Zikim base was attacked, the training base of the extraction and instruction brigade was attacked by terrorists, some of whom penetrated into the base. Brigade forces along with other forces worked to neutralize the infiltrators and restore the situation. At this time, extraction and instruction forces are spread out and deployed throughout the whole Gaza perimeter region and the Southern region for designated extraction and rescue missions. We have the ability to handle any site, destruction of any kind, if and when needed. It's important to stress that we were attacked on a holy day for Jews in a cruel manner. True, we were surprised, but our forces were not defeated and quickly recovered. They stopped the offensive, took them out, and restored the situation."