War on Israel Updates: IDF Strikes More Hamas Targets, Gears up for Gaza Ground Offensive
Jerusalem Post: “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived near the Gaza border … closely monitored the readiness of the Israeli forces for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued airstrikes against terrorist targets in Gaza a day after Hamas released two American hostages in a deal felicitated by Qatar.
“Israel kept up heavy bombardment of targets throughout Gaza overnight on Saturday,” Reuters reported. “After Netanyahu signalled no pause in Israel’s aerial onslaught and expected ground invasion, its military said fighter jets had struck a “large number of Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” including command centres and combat positions inside multi-story buildings,” the news agency added.
IDF drills for Gaza ground offensive
The Israeli media reports on late Friday suggest that the military is moving closer to launching a much-anticipated ground offensive in terrorist-controlled Gaza. “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived near the Gaza border on Friday night to meet with IDF officials,” the Jerusalem Post reported. “He closely monitored the readiness of the Israeli forces for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.”
The IDF soldiers, many of them reservists, are carrying out drills for an impending ground offensive against Hamas. The Times of Israel reported Saturday afternoon:
The Israel Defense Forces says that it continuing to prepare for the expected ground offensive in the Gaza Strip with “plans for the expansion of the fighting” being approved in recent days.
Troops are “conducting training in accordance with the approved operational plans,” the IDF says.
The IDF has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the Gaza border in recent days, ahead of a major ground incursion which officials have said will begin “soon.”
Following the Hamas shock terror attack the IDF called up 360,000 reservists to duty, making it one of the largest mobilization in the country’s history.
IDF says Gaza operation going as planned amid Biden’s ‘gaffe’
The IDF confirmed that it was not going to stall operations aimed at extracting hostages and hunting down the culprits behind the October 7 terrorist which killed 1400 people. “Release of 2 hostages won’t affect impending Gaza operation,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Saturday citing military sources.
The IDF’s clarification came hours after President Joe Biden ‘misspoke’ at a press conference on Friday suggesting Israel should delay ground operations in Gaza until more hostages get released.
The Jerusalem Post reported Saturday:
US President Joe Biden misheard a question from a reporter who asked whether Israel should delay a potential ground invasion of Gaza until more hostages can get out, when he answered, “yes,” the White House said.
“The president was far away. He didn’t hear the full question. The question sounded like ‘Would you like to see more hostages released?’ He wasn’t commenting on anything else,” White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt said.
Biden was walking up the steps to board Air Force One when a reporter shouted the question over the sound of the plane’s engines. Biden stopped for a moment and said, “yes,” and then proceeded onto the plane.
Hamas on Friday had released two American hostages, a woman and her teenage daughter, taken captive during October 7 terrorist attacks. “Hamas militants on Friday freed two Americans, a mother and her teenage daughter, who had been held hostage in Gaza since militants rampaged through Israel two weeks ago,” the Associated Press reported.
More than 200 people, including a dozen Americans, have falling into Hamas’ captivity during the surprise terrorist strike.
Arab Israeli and IDF combat soldier threatens Hamas: "You murdered our brothers and sisters. We are coming to Gaza to cleanse it of your evil. Arabs of the Negev are neither with you nor with your hypocrisy, you don't believe in Allah."
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) October 20, 2023
IDF takes out more top Hamas operatives
Israeli military eliminated a senior Hamas operative commanding terrorist group’s drone warfare and other advanced weaponry. Israel has taken out half a dozen senior Hamas commanders since the counter-terror operations began fifteen days ago, the IDF confirmed Friday.
An IDF press release on Friday said:
The IDF neutralized Mahmud Sabih, a senior Hamas terrorist operative who served as a senior engineer and unit head in Hamas’ projects and development department.
The department operated in order to increase Hamas’ weapons capabilities, exchanging knowledge with terrorist organization across the Middle East.
Mahmud Sabih operated to facilitate the transfer of information for Hamas in the production of weapons and UAVs.
However, the top Hamas leadership directing the terrorist warfare is hiding the plain sight in Qatar, a Gulf Arab state with close ties to Iran and global Islamist groups.
The IDF also struck Hezbollah targets in the north. Since the conflict started earlier this month, the Iran-backed Shia-Islamic militia has increased terror attacks into Israel from its base in southern Lebanon.
IDF: Over the last few hours, in response to rocket launches and anti-tank missiles fired toward Israel, IDF aircraft struck Hezbollah terror targets.
Among these terror targets were military compounds used for operational and terror purposes, as well as Hezbollah terror… pic.twitter.com/ywprVhWx2n
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 21, 2023
Bomb blast outside Israeli embassy in Cyprus
As Hamas calls on Muslims across the world to join in its jihad against Israel, a bomb went off outside the Israeli embassy in Cyprus on Saturday morning.
In recent years, Iran’s Islamic Guard (IRGC) has tried to target Israeli and Jewish sites in the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus.
The i24NEWS reported:
Authorities in Cyprus were alerted early Saturday morning to an explosion near the Israeli embassy. During an inspection near the embassy, officers found a detonated metal object with pyrotechnics, causing no major damage.
Later, two suspicious individuals near a car with knives and a hammer were apprehended. The car owner, 21, was arrested for stabbing and weapon possession.
As of now, a 17-year-old, 20-year-old, and two 21-year-olds are under interrogation at the Nicosia CID.
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Comments
Hamas is not likely to release any more hostages. Gaza has been given sufficient time to evacuate. Israel has no choice but to go in.
Yup. Unfortunately, I suspect the IDF is going to have to go Carthage 146 BC on the northern half of Gaza in order to clear Hamas out.
“The IDF’s clarification came hours after President Joe Biden ‘misspoke’ at a press conference on Friday suggesting Israel should delay ground operations in Gaza until more hostages get released.”
He didn’t misspeak, it’s the Biden/Hamas plan.
Drip, drip, drip of hostages till there is no Israel answer
And the Israel soldier? You would be wrong, they do believe in Allah, every single one of them.
Doing the devils work
Well, it’s not his handlers plan or they wouldn’t have “clarified” for him.
I’m as exhilarated at Israel wiping out Hamas as Cornell professor Russel Rickford was at the raping, murdering and beheading of Jewish civilians.
And if he gets fired, I will be even more exhilarated.
Let’s just hope that this time, Israel finished the job
Yes, that will be exhilirating indeed. And well-deserved.
This is shaping up to be a repeat of 1948—-Nakba.
I may be a little fuzzy on WWII. Did the Allies provide food and supplies to the Axis powers before their ground offensive?
Exactly.. insane… but you know it’s going to Hamas in reality
It is not possible to completely get rid of Hamas or Hamas-like widgets from Gaza because they will sprout up from the population left behind. Perhaps now would be a good time to launch an attack on Iran and cut off the head of the snake.
Who said anything about leaving a “population” of arabs in the region. Israeli officials would have to be insane to leave any Arabs in Gaza at this point. Just push them south over the border into Egypt and make doubly darn sure that the southern border is then closed and fortified so that Arabs cannot return to the region.
That’s unrealistic and wrong. Israel is law abiding. Would be surprised if it Israel would consider emulating its enemies. And what about the Arabs in Israel and the disputed territories.
After addressing Hamas/Iran, time for Arabs to step forward and address their Palestinian issue, which has festered too too long.
What is wrong about it? The population of Gaza elected Hamas. Hamas violently launched an attack on Israel. Past accords are dead issue. They started this war and have to live with the consequences.
“Israeli officials would have to be insane to leave any Arabs in Gaza at this point. Just push them south over the border into Egypt”
Arabs and others may engage in ethnic cleansing, Israel does not. It’s not only wrong, but illegal, and Israel abides by law.
To their demise, the terrorists will respect no such limits.
Israel has pushed Arabs out of terrorist breeding grounds before (such as the West Bank). They won’t do what Concise suggests though because it would anger Egypt and they don’t need that kind of trouble right now.
Employing phrases like “ethnic cleansing” is absurd, unless you apply to Hamas and its supporters. By emptying Gaza, Israel would just be securing a territory occupied by a population that has proven to pose a serious risk to its national security. Gaza is not a real country, just essential a welfare camp. It can be relocated.
“insane to leave any Arabs in Gaza at this point. Just push them south over the border”
Nah, that’s not ethnic cleansing.
Relocate. And I guess they should have thought of that before they put Hamas in power and celebrated the killing of jews. If a shanty town of illegals in this country decided to put the cartel in power, would it be ethnic cleansing to remove this “town”? (actually probably happening under this corrupt incompetent, but let’s imagine we had a real president)
So how many more dead Israelis is it going to take before Israel takes off the kid gloves and deals with these Arab terrorists in Gaza? 10? 20? 100? Another thousand or two? Israel has been trying to deal with Gaza and the Arab terrorists since day one of Israel’s existence And where the heck has all the “peace accords” and “cease fires” and “negotiations” gotten them over the decades. Nowhere fast. The same problems that existed 10, 20 years ago or even longer still exist today. Hamas wants to destroy Israel. End of story. The time to be “law abiding” is over. Being “law abiding” has gotten Israel nothing. Time to face the fact it’s either Israel or Hamas. The two will never be able to coexist side by side. And if it comes right down to it I’d rather Israel than Hamas any day of the year.
It wasn’t Israel that started this mess but by G-d they should finish it once and for all.
Get rid of the nuclear capacity. Send the message. That’s what you get when you call for genocide and sic your dogs to commit human atrocities manifesting your intent. Invoke Article 51.
The sad part is many will condemn publicly, while in private know the opposite.
I agree with you on hitting Iran but the UN can go f itself.
No need to wonder here folks
https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/10/20/israelis-wonder-is-biden-deterring-iran-or-deterring-israel/
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued airstrikes against terrorist targets in Gaza a day after Hamas released two American hostages in a deal felicitated by Qatar.”
“Felicitated”?? What’s that? Meant to say “facilitated”, no?
Could have been worse.
Good, and they shouldn’t stop while there’s so much as a pile of rubble still standing. At that point, the terrorists should be hunted and killed, not arrested and tried. Just kill the bastards, and do it painfully, like in the gut with a shotgun and just allow them to bleed out painful. Done with the special pleaders and their favoring of terrorism. Anybody that wants to object should be the next on the chopping block.
Kill them
Kill them all and salt the Earth then set it on fire and piss on the ashes to let the World know what happens to inhuman Jihad’s