The war in the south. Initial reports from Hamas regarding the number of abductees in their hands - it is said to be 163 people, including soldiers, residents of the Gaza envelope kibbutzim, and attendees from the nature party in Be'eri and Re'im.
An IDF spokesperson earlier confirmed that there are abductees who were taken to Gaza during this morning's breach of the Gaza border by hundreds of terrorists.
According to reports from the IDF, control has been regained over most of the communities in the Gaza envelope, including Sufa, Kerem Shalom, Nirim, Netiv HaAsara, Nir Oz, Moshav Nahal Oz, Holit, Nir Am, Nir Yitzhak, Be'er Sheva, Sde Teiman, Magen, Sderot, and Orim.
However, at this time, exchanges of fire are still ongoing between IDF soldiers and militants in several locations in the Gaza envelope, primarily in the city of Ofakim and near the Sderot police station.
