20th day of the war. The IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari delivered a statement to the press this morning (Thursday) addressing all the fronts on which Israel is fighting.
First, he addressed the Gaza Strip, saying “IDF forces under the command of Givati brigade and additional forces from Division 162 conducted a ground ride in the area of the northern Gaza Strip. The forces eliminated terrorists and destroyed terror infrastructures. Our forces suffered no casualties. The raid is part of our preparations for the next stages of the war. Through the raid, we eliminate terrorists, handle threats, dismantle explosives, neutralize ambushes, in order to enable the next stages of the war for the coming forces.”
He also addressed the northern front: “Over the last day, we eliminated 5 terrorist squads who tried to fire on our territory. The terrorists were eliminated en route to fire. In the night hours, a ground-to-air missile was fired toward an aircraft from Lebanese territory. The aircraft was unharmed. The missile was intercepted by aerial defense soldiers, and the source of the fire was struck. We will continue to act with determination in the face of any threat in the north.”
Captive Numbers Updated Due to Intel
The Spokesperson also stated that “so far, a message has been sent to 309 families of the fallen (soldiers) and 224 kidnapped. The information was updated due to intelligence information. This includes operational efforts which also bring information and tell us who’s a hostage and who is missing.”
Hagari appealed to the residents of Israel in the rear, saying “there is no change in the instructions in the rear. There was a direct hit in Rishon Letziyon and the citizens were not seriously harmed, because they listened to instructions.”
