We're Not at War with Gaza

We're at War with Hamas. Here's how we're facilitating aid to Gazan civilians.

Despite the operational pause, Israel is at war.

This is not a war of our choosing. On October 7th, Hamas violated an existing ceasefire, and massacred over 1200 Israelis, torturing and raping some of their victims. Hundreds more were kidnapped to Gaza, in some cases after watching their family members coldly executed.

We have vowed to dismantle Hamas’ political and military capabilities so they aren’t able to threaten Israeli citizens in the future. We’re at war with Hamas to accomplish those goals and bring our hostages home.

The war is with Hamas and other terror groups in Gaza. It is not with the regular Palestinian civilians who have been living under oppressive Hamas rule for 16 years.

A war fought in urban areas against a terror organization that deliberately uses its own civilians as human shields is complicated. For Gazan civilians, there are tragic consequences of Hamas’ strategy which the IDF is trying to mitigate.

To that end, we’ve been facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza - and ensuring that it is getting to the people who need it.

This aid has three main objectives:

1. Mitigate the humanitarian consequences of the war

2. Get aid to the civilians of Gaza

3. Prevent the exploitation of Gazans as human shields

The Humanitarian Situation Before October 7th

Goods, power, and water were all flowing to Gaza from Israel before the October 7th massacre.

• There was an open transfer of goods with approximately 500 trucks per day crossing from Israel into Gaza.

• About 18,500 Gazan civilians crossed into Israel to work for salaries 3.5X greater than the average in Gaza.

• 90% of Gaza’s water was self-sourced and another 8% was provided by Israel via 3 water lines.

• Israel provided Gaza with 120 Mw of electricity via 10 power lines.

This infrastructure was severely damaged by Hamas during its attack on Israel on Oct 7th.

Nine out of the ten power lines were damaged, as were two of the three water lines.

Hamas terrorists also destroyed the Erez Crossing, one of the two crossings between Gaza and Israel where goods and people flowed in and out.

Aid to Gazans

During the war, the IDF and COGAT were able to repair the water lines damaged by Hamas, allowing for 2m liters of potable water a day to enter Gaza.

Col. Elad Goren, Head of the Civil Department at COGAT, discusses international coordination to facilitate aid into Gaza

Aid trucks began entering Gaza via the Rafah Crossing with Egypt on October 21st. We have ramped up operations in order to significantly increase the amount of aid now going in. Currently, 200 trucks a day are going into the Gaza Strip. In total, over 27,0000 tons of aid have entered Gaza including food, water, shelter equipment, and medical equipment.

Beginning November 22nd, we have begun allowing fuel into Gaza for humanitarian organizations.

Of course, we put in place mechanisms to ensure that only aid - and nothing but aid - can enter and be used by Hamas.

For up-to-date information, be sure to follow @cogatonline on X.

We will not stop our mission to dismantle Hamas. But we will continue to ensure aid gets to the people of Gaza.

Operational Updates

Last night, we brought home 11 Israelis who were held hostage by Hamas - nine children and two mothers.

We will continue to do everything possible to bring home the remaining hostages and reunite them with their loved ones.

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Quote of the Day

For the past eight weeks, IDF fighters and their commanders have been fighting with determination and defending our home. We will continue to fight and are ready for developments in other arenas, including in the north.

- IDF Chief of the General Staff, Herzi Halevi, speaking with municipal leaders in northern Israel.

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What I’m Reading

First testimonies shed light on the conditions endured by Hamas’ Israeli hostages - CNN

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What I’m Eating

Avocado toast is always a winning breakfast.

Unfortunately, fine British dining has not yet made it to IDF mess halls. Had to prepare this one myself….