Mission Brief #6
Two Videos From Gaza I Just Shared with the Press
Hi everyone, today’s update is based on the morning briefing I conducted with of the foreign press.
Not pictured - the stack of coffee table books propping up my laptop
First let me start by describing what we shared with them.
Just for some context here - Hamas’ tactics have relied heavily on subterranean fortification (that’s a fancy way to say tunnels). They’ve dug hundreds of miles of tunnels under Gaza, literally sinking funds into attacking Israel instead of supporting their local population. As I mentioned yesterday, the tunnels are exactly why buildings collapsed when the IDF targeted on Ibrahim Biari, a senior Hamas operative, beyond the October 7th attacks. Hamas had literally undermined their residents’ safety (more on that in the brief below).
On to the tunnels.
One misconception is that these are fly-by-night tunnels. They’re not. They are heavily fortified tunnels, located deep underground with power and rails.
This is a video of a tunnel our forces discovered on the outskirts of Khan Younis. As you can see, the tunnel is quite deep. The second half of the video shows the tunnel’s exit, which is very well disguised.
It’s not just tunnels
This second video I showed them was of a rocket launch pad deep in a civilian area, just 15 feet away from a children’s play area.
This is so fundamental to the war; it’s legitimate to ask Israel why we strike targets but those questions must be preceded by a question to Hamas - why did you turn homes, backyards, mosques and hospitals into combat zones?
I’m sharing this to help you understand the complexities of urban combat in Gaza. It’s important that you see where Hamas has placed their weapons - schools, mosques, hospitals, playgrounds, pools. There’s no limit to Hamas’ cynical exploitation of civilians in Gaza.
Operational Updates
The IDF continues to progress in its mission to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities. We have completed the encirclement of Gaza city, and will continue to operate against Hamas in the area. Civilians wishing to evacuate south will continue to be able to do so.
Overnight, IDF forces seized terrorist strongholds which contained grenades, explosives, protective gear, communications equipment and maps. The terrorists in these locations were eliminated
The fighting has been very intense, close quarters combat. The air force and navy are working together with troops on the ground in Gaza to eliminate threats to our forces.
The IDF has notified the families of 338 IDF soldiers fallen in the line of duty and the families of 241 hostages in Gaza.
Looking north…
An anti-tank missile from Lebanon was fired towards an IDF post near the community of Mattat. No injuries were reported. IDF soldiers responded with artillery fire toward the origin of the launch.
We have been very clear in our message to Hezbollah - we will respond to any act of aggression on our norther border. Our forces are alert. They are ready for any scenario. Lebanon must understand that they are risking a catastrophic war -and for what? Hamas isn’t worth it.
Quote of the Day
Read RAdm. Hagari’s full morning briefing here.
What I’m Listening to
Yesterday we released the first episode of the IDF’s official podcast (conveniently also called ‘Mission Brief’, so it should be easy to remember)
In episode one, we hear from an officer who battled terrorists for days in southern Israel and an air force navigator who discusses the intelligence that is behind IAF strikes.
Spotify:
Apple Podcasts:
Must be frustrating having to talk to the media and their uninformed, simplistic questions, but I guess it means the answers are obvious. I find it baffling that people are so blind to understanding the situation, or don’t want to. The tunnels look like sophisticated engineering, so they must have had good advisers, designers and a complex project plan! I can’t imagine what it’s like to have close combat battles in those tunnels with potential traps etc. Thinking ot all the brave soldiers doing this tough job
There seems to be a real imbalance in the media reporting of this war. Not only in failing to hold Hamas to account for their atrocities on 7th October, but their complete abdication of responsibility for the welfare of the citizens of Gaza.
Worse still there also doesn't seem to be the same level of reporting when it comes to the hostages or 1400 Israeli civilians who were murdered, in comparison to the causalities in Gaza. This is a good article that shows the horrific job that forensic teams are having to carry out: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-morgue-identify-victims-hamas-507f1f80?mod=livecoverage_web