Israel SitRep: October 7, 2024

Today’s Issue: | October 7 Anniversary Starts With Four Rockets From Gaza; War Began Last Year With 2,500 Rockets | In Past Year, More Than 13,000 Projectiles Fired From Gaza; IAF Struck About 40,300 Targets | IAF Strikes Hezbollah Intelligence Targets and Command Centers in Beirut | IDF Begins New Ground Operation in Northern Gaza, Calls on Residents to Move South | Latest FDD Analysis

October 7 Anniversary Starts With Four Rockets From Gaza; War Began Last Year With 2,500 Rockets: This morning, at 6:31 a.m., four rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, nearly a year to the minute after the war began with the firing of 2,500 rockets at Israel. The Israeli Air Force intercepted three of this morning’s rockets, while the other landed in an open area. Several hours later, sirens sounded in central Israel, and the IDF announced that five rockets had been fired from Khan Younis in Gaza and asked Israelis to continue to follow instructions from the Home Front Command. Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket launches. According to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency response service, two women sustained mild injuries from shrapnel and were taken to the hospital. Around two hours later, the IAF intercepted five projectiles fired from northern Gaza at Gaza envelope communities in Israel. About an hour later, the IDF announced that IAF fighter jets struck and destroyed the launcher in Khan Younis from which the rockets were fired. The attack caused secondary explosions, indicating the presence of weapons. In addition, the 215th Artillery Regiment fired artillery at the launcher used to fire at the Gaza envelope communities.

In Past Year, More Than 13,000 Projectiles Fired From Gaza; IAF Struck About 40,300 Targets: Yesterday, the IDF published statistics from the past year, noting that as of October 2, 2024, some 13,200 projectiles had been fired at Israel from Gaza, some 12,400 from Lebanon, about 60 from Syria, approximately 180 from Yemen, and about 400 from Iran. Since October 7, 2023, 726 soldiers whose names have been cleared for publication have been killed. In Gaza, as of September 25, 2024, the IDF had eliminated eight terrorist brigade commanders, some 165 company commanders, and about 30 battalion commanders. In Lebanon, more than 800 terrorists and about 90 commanders have been killed. Unit 504 of Aman Military Intelligence has conducted more than 7,000 interrogations, and the IDF says that many of those interrogated are terrorists and that some of them participated in last October 7th’s atrocities. The IDF adds that as of September 25, 2024, the Israeli military has struck about 40,300 targets in Gaza from the air, dismantled more than 1,000 rocket launcher sites, and found some 4,700 tunnel shafts. In Lebanon, the military has attacked about 4,900 targets from the air and approximately 6,000 on the ground.

IAF Strikes Hezbollah Intelligence Targets and Command Centers in Beirut: Last night, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, with guidance from Aman military intelligence, struck targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut, including command centers. Fighter jets also struck Hezbollah weapons depots in the Beirut area. The strikes caused secondary explosions, indicating the presence of weapons in the targets struck. The IDF notes that Hezbollah places its weapons and command centers underneath residential buildings in the heart of Beirut, thereby endangering the local population. In addition, in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, IAF fighter jets, with guidance from the Northern Command, struck Hezbollah terror targets, among them military buildings, a command center, a rocket launcher, and weapons depots.

IDF Begins New Ground Operation in Northern Gaza, Calls on Residents to Move South: Overnight Saturday, the IDF’s 162 Division began a new ground operation in Jabalya in northern Gaza. The IDF says that the operation was launched after it received intelligence indicating that there were terrorists and terror infrastructures in the area and that Hamas was attempting to re-establish itself there. It adds that the operation will continue as long as necessary and will involve “systematically damaging and thoroughly destroying terror infrastructures in the area.” The 401st and 460th Armored Brigades completed their encirclement of the area and are continuing to operate there. On Sunday, the IDF announced that it is expanding the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, and on Monday, IDF Arabic-language spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee published an announcement for residents of Jabalya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza stating that the IDF is carrying out intensive operations in the area and that they must evacuate to al-Mawasi. His announcement notes that residents of these areas can use Salah al-Din Street between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to move southward. Israel believes that there are tens of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza and that thousands of them are terrorists who survived past army operations there.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Amir Tibon, FDD Event

“Israel’s Victory Will Be a Success for American Grand Strategy,” Richard Goldberg, National Review

“Iranian Cyber Operations Raise Fears of Attacks on Military Personnel,” Ari Ben Am and Max Lesser, The Cipher Brief

“Road to the third Lebanon war,” David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Visual

“IDF Targets Nasrallah Successor, Destroys Hezbollah Weapons Smuggling Tunnel,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Moves Against Hamas Reconstitution in North Gaza’s Jabalya,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief