More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli operation,[50] including more than 13,000 children and 9,000 women,[51] with another 7,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings.[52][53] By mid-December, Israel had dropped 29,000 munitions on Gaza, destroying or damaging 70 percent of homes, destroying hundreds of cultural landmarks, and damaging dozens of cemeteries.[54][55][56][57] Experts say that the scale and pace of destruction in Gaza is among the severest in recent history.[58][59]
A severe
humanitarian crisis has developed, with
healthcare in a state of collapse,[60] shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel due to the blockade,[61][62][63] electricity and communications blackouts,[64] and the U.N. warning of potential
famine.[65] It was widely reported that there is "no safe place in Gaza", as Israel struck areas it had previously told Palestinians to evacuate to.[66][67][68] The widespread civilian
deaths have led to
accusations of war crimes against both Israel and Hamas.[69][70] Nearly all 2.3 million Gazans have been
internally displaced[71] and 250,000 to 500,000 Israelis were internally displaced,[72][73][74] while Israel has
detained thousands of Palestinians[75][76][77] and said it lost 225 additional soldiers in its invasion as of 4 February 2024.[78]
After Palestinian militant groups led by
Hamas launched an
attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 which saw a minimum of 1,139 largely non-combatant individuals killed, Israel
declared war against Hamas.[80] Israel moved to mobilize 300,000
reservists and began to move armor close to the border with the Gaza Strip in the aftermath.[81][82] Included in the amassing of armor were
Namer armored personnel carriers and
Merkava tanks.[82]
Prior to the raids, Israel had told the UN that the more than a million people living in the north half of the Gaza Strip should evacuate within a 24-hour window.[83] In response, Hamas instructed those residents to stay put.[84][85] The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had urged around 1.1 million civilians to leave
North Gaza so they would not be hurt or caught in crossfire,[86] and Israeli officials said that the window was left at 24-hours to reduce the time for Hamas to conduct military preparation in the area. However, aid groups stated that the time window was too short to evacuate the one million people, and lack of electricity in Gaza hampered the ability of electronic communications regarding the evacuation to reach Gazans.[85] Israel had
dropped leaflets in
Gaza City containing the evacuation order, in addition to electronic communications.[87]
On 21 October 2023, the Israeli army dropped more leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of
Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[88][89]
Raids inside Gaza
On 13 October 2023, the IDF sent armored vehicles and infantry into the Gaza Strip, stating that their goals were to attack Hamas militants[90] and to rescue hostages that had been abducted to Gaza by Hamas.[90][91] The operation, according to Israeli officials, was not part of a larger and widely anticipated ground invasion, but rather a raid in which troops only temporarily enter the Gaza Strip.[92][93] The IDF confirmed the same day that Israeli remains were located and retrieved in the Gaza Strip.[94]
Another raid, headed by the
Givati Brigade and the
162nd Armored Division, took place between 25 and 26 October and was the largest offensive so far,[95] including tanks, other vehicles and
IDF Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers.[96] A follow-up raid took place the next night in the
Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.[97]
Invasion
October 2023
27 October
Internet and mobile phone services in Gaza were almost completely cut off.[98][99] On the evening of 27 October, the IDF launched a large-scale ground assault on the towns of
Beit Hanoun and
Bureij in the Gaza Strip.[100]Shayetet 13, a commando unit of the
Israeli Navy, carried out a strike on Hamas naval forces overnight.[20] An Israeli
Skylark II drone was shot down on Gaza Strip.[101]
28 October
Israel said that the units deployed inside the Gaza Strip the previous night were still on the ground, which marked the beginning of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.[102] The IDF announced it was "expanding ground operations" in the Gaza Strip.[103] The Israeli military reissued a call to Gaza residents to evacuate the north as Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said that the "second phase of the war has begun".[104]
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the
World Health Organization (WHO), described as "deeply concerning" reports from the
Palestinian Red Crescent with smoke and dust, prompting staff to give breathing masks to some patients.[106] Around 14,000 civilians were believed to be sheltering in or near the hospital.[106] The
al-Quds hospital had received an urgent evacuation warning along with a notice that it was "going to be bombarded". He reiterated that it was "impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives".[107] Israeli airstrikes targeted the area around the hospital, filling parts of the building.
Associated Press reported that Israeli airstrikes also destroyed roads leading to the Al-Shifa hospital, making it increasingly difficult to reach.[108] Later in the day, Hamas said that Palestinian militants clashed with Israeli tanks in
Salah al-Din Street in Gaza and forced them to retreat.[109] The
Institute for the Study of War also stated that Israel withdrew from the road.[110]
30 October
The IDF blocked the
Salah al-Din Road, a major thoroughfare connecting the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks were also seen in the
Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.[111][112] A local resident told
AFP that the Israelis "have cut the Salah al-Din road and are firing at any vehicle that tries to go along it."[113] Witnesses reported, and a video showed, an Israeli tank firing on a taxi with a white flag on its roof that had attempted to turn around. An Israeli military spokesman said "The IDF was not shown any proof that this is a civilian car and there's no information on who is inside."[114] A kidnapped IDF
private was freed the same day in an operation headed by the IDF, with assistance from
Shin Bet and
Mossad.[115] In northwest Gaza, the
Al-Qassam Brigades and the
DFLP's
National Resistance Brigades engaged Israeli forces, and the National Resistance Brigades bombarded Israeli vehicles with heavy mortar shells.[24]
November 2023
1 November
IDF reported the deaths of 16 soldiers, 15 inside Gaza and one outside of Palestinian territory.[116]
On 2 November, IDF had completely surrounded Gaza City, which began the
siege of Gaza City.[117][118] Al-Qassam Brigades showed footage of the destruction of an Israeli Merkava tank after its fighters used an
Al-Yassin 105mm rocket-propelled grenade to neutralize its
Trophy protection system.[119]
4 November
A UNRWA spokeswoman confirmed reports that Israel had conducted
an airstrike against a United Nations-run school in the Jabalia refugee camp.[120] According to the Gaza health ministry, the attack killed 15 and wounded dozens more.[120] According to
UNRWA, at least one strike hit the schoolyard, where displaced families had set up their tents.[120] The
Gaza Ministry of Health said another Israeli missile strike on the entrance to the Nasser Children's Hospital killed two women.[120] According to White House officials, efforts to evacuate foreign nationals through the Rafah border crossing were temporarily hindered by Hamas's refusal to allow anyone to leave, until a certain number of its own wounded were also allowed to leave.[121][122] Hamas stated that within the last two days they had destroyed 24 Israeli vehicles, including a tank, an APC, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons.[123]
Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel "in view of the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by the continuing attacks by Israel against civilians, and Israel's refusal (to accept) a ceasefire." President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters he held Netanyahu personally responsible for civilian deaths in Gaza and said that he was "no longer someone we can talk to".[124]
Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, reported that due to Israeli air strikes, the bodies of 23 missing Israeli hostages were buried under the rubble.[125][126]
5 November
IDF reported that 29 soldiers had been killed, and one severely wounded, during the fighting in the Gaza Strip.[127]
6 November
Israeli missile attacks targeted the
Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza City, hitting the Al-Nasser Children's Hospital, eight people were killed and dozens more were injured according to Al Jazeera.[128] Human Rights Watch called for a weapons embargo against both Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups, accusing them of committing war crimes against civilians.[129]
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S.
Biden administration was planning to send $320 million worth of "
Spice Family Gliding Bomb Assemblies", a type of precision guided weapon fired by warplanes, to Israel. Under the deal, weapons manufacturer Rafael USA would send the bombs to its Israeli parent
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for use by the Israeli defense ministry.[130]
10 November
Netanyahu said the IDF would control Gaza after the war and rejected proposals to establish an international force in the strip.[131]
11 November
Four IDF soldiers—a
major, a
sergeant major, and two
master sergeants[132]—were killed and other four were wounded after a tunnel exploded in their vicinity near Beit Hanoun. All casualties were from the 697th battalion of the 551st Reserve Brigade Arrows of Fire.[133] Among the dead was Matan Meir, the executive producer of the Israeli television series
Fauda.[134]
Beneath the Rantisi Hospital in Gaza, IDF forces found a room where Israeli hostages are believed to have been held.
The calendar found in the room marked the days since 7 October Massacre with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", Hamas's name for their horrific attack on Israel.
The IDF published a video which they said showed that Hamas had a facility under
Al-Rantisi Hospital, and that Israeli hostages were likely hidden there.[136] The video showed, among others, a stash of weapons and explosives; what appears to be a motorbike with a bullet hole on its side; and water, ventilation and sewage infrastructure that the IDF stated were improvised in preparation of coming hostages.[137]
According to The New York Times, the origins of the weapons shown in the video could not be independently verified.[138]
Charles Lister, Director of the Counterterrorism and Extremism Program at the
Middle East Institute, stated the IDF footage "clearly indicated" that the basement was a
bomb shelter.[139] Mohammed Zarqout, a local official responsible for Gaza's hospitals, stated the basement was a shelter for women and children.[140]
The IDF also presented a calendar that they said was found under the hospital marking the days since 7 October, with the title "
Operation Al-Aqsa Flood".[141] Israel stated the calendar was a list "where every terrorist writes his name".[142] However, this claim was criticized by fluent Arabic speakers as "
propaganda", who said that the words in Arabic only spelled out the days of the week.[143][144]
14 November
External videos
Instagram videos by Ahmed Hijazi of the Al-Shifa Hospital strike shown in the Visual Investigations report published by The New York Times.[145]
The New York Times published a report by its Visual Investigations team contradicting claims by the IDF that civilian deaths and damage at the al-Shifa Hospital had been caused by stray Palestinian projectiles.[145] The report concluded instead, "some of the munitions were likely fired by Israeli forces", based on video and satellite evidence and an examination of weapons fragments collected and verified by The Times and analyzed by experts.[145] Moreover, two of the most severe strikes analyzed by The Times hit upper floors of the maternity ward and did not appear to be aimed at underground infrastructure.[145] "Israel's assertion that Al-Shifa was actually hit by a Palestinian projectile echoed similar – and unresolved – claims and counterclaims following munitions that hit the courtyard of another Gaza hospital, Al-Ahli, nearly a month ago. The evidence reviewed by The Times from Al-Shifa points more directly to strikes by Israel – whether on purpose or by accident is unclear," the report said.[145] The IDF has stated that it is targeting Al Shifa Hospital due to its use by Hamas, and that there is a command center underneath the facility, with U.S. officials stating that their intelligence confirms Israel's conclusions that Hamas is operating out of hospitals in Gaza.[146] A day earlier the EU issued a joint declaration condemning Hamas for its use of hospitals and civilians as "
human shields" in Gaza.[147] A number of countries and international organizations condemned what they called Hamas' use of hospitals and civilians as human shields.
IDF soldiers carried boxes into al-Shifa, labeled in English and Arabic as "medical supplies" and "baby food".[148] In an interview with
Al Jazeera, an emergency room employee stated that Israel "did not bring any aid or supplies",[149] while another contact within the hospital told the
BBC that Israeli soldiers had supplied water to elderly patients.[150] Several hours later, the IDF stated they had found weapons in al-Shifa, indicating the presence of a command center.[151] The IDF released a video that they said showed grenades, automatic weapons and
flak jackets recovered from the hospital.[152]John Kirby, a U.S. government official, stated that the U.S. remained confident in their previous assessment that a Hamas military compound exists underneath the hospital.[152]
In response,
Mouin Rabbani, a Middle East analyst, stated, "Israeli forces have invaded Shifa Hospital and been inside it for 12 full hours – having refused any independent party to accompany them – and now we're supposed to believe that there were Hamas militants in there being pursued by the Israeli military but they somehow left their weapons behind?"[153] Political analyst
Marwan Bishara stated, "It's kind of baffling. Why would Hamas leave the guns and not anything else?"[154]Jeremy Scahill stated, "I've seen more guns in the homes of ordinary Americans than in this purported Hamas Pentagon under al-Shifa Hospital."[155]
16 November
Netanyahu had stated in an interview with
CBS that the Israeli government had "strong indications" that hostages were in al-Shifa, which was one of the reasons they entered the hospital.[156] It was reported that the body of Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old woman who was kidnapped from Be'eri
kibbutz, was found in a building near the hospital.[157][158]
Residents in parts of southern Gaza reportedly received evacuation notices, sparking concerns over an expansion of the invasion.[159] A fuel shortage was widely reported to have caused a shutdown of all internet and phone networks in the Gaza Strip, according to its two primary telecom providers
Jawwal and
Paltel.[159][160][161]
17 November
Internet and telecom services were restored after Israel reportedly agreed to allow the delivery of 140,000 liters of fuel into the Gaza Strip every two days following a request by the U.S. to do so,[162] consisting of 20,000 liters to be delivered to Jawwal and Paltel to maintain telecom and internet service and 120,000 liters for water desalination, sewage pumping, food production and hospitals.[163] It was reported that the body of Noa Marciano, a 19-year-old soldier who was taken captive on 7 October, was found in a building near al-Shifa hospital.[164]
A World Health Organization team visited the al-Shifa hospital amid reports that the Israeli army commander sent patients away with an
Agence France-Presse journalist reportedly witnessing the departure of patients and displaced persons from the hospital.[166]
Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi stated that Arab troops would not go into Gaza to assume control after the war.[167]
19 November
The IDF released footage of an underground tunnel under al-Shifa.[168] The tunnel, which is 160 meters long and 10 meters deep, passes directly under the Qatari building of the hospital; it has air-conditioned rooms, bathrooms, a
kitchenette, electricity connections and communication infrastructure, and is protected by a
blast door.[169] The IDF also released
CCTV footage that appears to show two of the hostages being led in the hospital's corridors, as well as Hamas and stolen IDF vehicles in its courtyard.[170] During the 1980s, Israel expanded the hospital with functional basements for maintenance and administration purposes;[171][172] and a network of tunnels was part of this construction.[173][171][174]
According to Israel, Hamas eventually appropriated the complex, then expanded it with its own system of tunnels and bunkers.[175]
Multiple sources concluded that evidence did not demonstrate the use of the tunnels by Hamas as a command center.[176][177][178][179][180][181][182]
A group of 31
premature babies were evacuated from al-Shifa hospital to southern Gaza.[183]
The White House denied reporting from
The Washington Post that a Qatari brokered five-day ceasefire deal had been reached. The deal would have included a five-day ceasefire in exchange for the stepwise release of female and child hostages in small groups.[184][185] The
U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson stated on
X (formerly Twitter): "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal".[186]
20 November
IDF tanks completely surrounded the
Indonesia Hospital in Gaza after heavy fire using artillery weapons against it, around 12 Palestinians were killed in clashes around the hospital according to the
Gaza Health Ministry. Around 700 people, including the injured and medical staff, were inside the facility when the IDF surrounded it.[187] The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, responded on
X (formerly known as Twitter) saying he was "appalled" by the Israeli forces and their actions against the Indonesia Hospital by keeping the injured and medical staff inside the building while besieging it.[188]
On 20 November the IDF released video footage of what appears to be a weapons manufacturing facility
hidden behind a false wall inside the basement of a mosque in
Zeitoun, Gaza.[189] IDF soldiers also discovered weapons, explosive devices, a drone, and a vertical tunnel shaft inside the building.[189]
21 November
The IDF moved its frontline to encircle the
Jabaliya refugee camp where they are battling Palestinian militants and attempting to control with IDF forces getting more equipment for the attack.[190][191]
22 November
Israel and Hamas reached a temporary ceasefire agreement, providing for a four-day "pause"[192] or "lull"[58][193] in hostilities, to allow for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza.[192][58] The deal also provided for the release of approximately 150 Palestinian women and children incarcerated by Israel.[58] The agreement was approved by the Israeli cabinet in the early hours of the day; in a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated Israel's intention to continue the war.[192][58]
According to Hamas, in addition to the truce and prisoner exchange, the deal also involved Israel halting all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintaining a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window over northern Gaza, in addition to the entry of hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip.[194] The Israeli government said that the truce would be extended by one day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas.[195] The deal was brokered by
Egypt and
Qatar, and Egyptian state media announced the truce will enter into effect on the morning of 23 November.[196] Qatari Foreign Affairs minister
Mohamed Bin Mubarak Al-Khulaifi, whom
Reuters referred to as "Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks," stated his hope that the truce "will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire...That's our intention."[197]
The IDF released video footage from
Sheikh Zayed, an area which is home to many senior members of Hamas. The footage showed what the IDF claimed to be a rocket launcher situated near a school, and an armament-laden truck used in the 7 October attack parked in the courtyard of a mosque.[198]
Temporary ceasefire
November 2023
23 November
The IDF released footage showing a weapons cache hidden under a child's bed, which it stated belonged to the child of a senior Hamas official.[199][200]
24 November
Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages, 10 Thai nationals, and one Filipino captive.[201] Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners.[202] The IDF also revised the number of hostages held in Gaza to 236.[203]
25 November
Hamas released 13 Israeli and four foreign hostages after a seven-hour delay from their agreed time.[204] Hamas was accused of violating the deal after not having released a mother with her child.[205]
26 November
Hamas released 17 hostages, including 14 Israelis and three Thai nationals.[206] Israel also released 39 teenage Palestinian prisoners.[207]
27 November
Qatar announced that an agreement between Israel and Hamas to extend the truce by two days had been reached.[208]
28 November
Both Israel and Hamas accused each other of violating the truce. The IDF reported that several soldiers sustained minor injuries following an attack by Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip by three explosive devices that it said were detonated near its forces at two different locations, while Hamas said it had engaged Israel in a "field clash" that it said was instigated by Israel.[209] Turkish media and Muhammad al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of the PIJ, confirmed that
Al-Quds Brigade soldiers held and released civilian women and children to the Red Cross.[210]
29 November
Hamas released 12 hostages, 10 of them Israeli and two of them Thai nationals. Afterwards, Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners.[211] Hamas continued to deny the
International Committee of the Red Cross access to the remaining hostages.[212][213]
30 November
Hamas released two more hostages as the truce, which was supposed to end minutes later, was extended by another day.[214] An Israeli
Skylark II drone was reported shot down on central Gaza. The remains were recorded by Palestinian media.[215][216]
Resumption of hostilities
December 2023
1 December
Upon the expiry of the truce, the Israeli army was subject to several ambushes and attacks by Palestinian militants.
The IDF engaged in battles against militants in
Zeitoun. Soldiers at the Netzarim Junction on the
Salah al-Din Road south of
Zeitoun neighbourhood were subjected to mortar shelling by Saraya al Quds. Palestinian fighters ambushed Israeli forces in the
Tel al-Hawa neighborhood west of Zeitoun.
The IDF stated on 18 November that it was expanding offensive operations toward
Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip.[217]
2 December
Palestinian militants led by Saraya al Quds resisted the Israeli penetration into the northwestern front towards Jabalia, engaging soldiers in urban warfare throughout the
Sheikh Radwan neighbourhoods. Al Qassam launched 3
loitering munitions to target Israeli forces throughout northern Gaza. They also targeted Israeli soldiers in Beit Hanoun, firing at groups, normally holed up in buildings with rockets. An
IDF Caterpillar D9 armoured bulldozer was also targeted by Palestinian rockets at
Juhor ad-Dik. PFLP militants targeted the Gaza envelope with rockets and mortar shelling.[218]
3 December
Israeli forces in Northern Gaza were subject to heavy attacks, led by Al-Qassam Brigades. In Sheikh Radwan, Israeli soldiers were trapped in a booby-trapped tunnel then shelled by Palestinian mortar fire. Three vehicles were targeted by Saraya al Quds with small arms and tandem-charged
RPGs.[219]
8 December
Khan Yunis and Central Gaza axis
Israeli forces begun to enter
Khan Yunis, reporting the most violent fighting in the entire war[220] with the Israeli
7th Brigade engaged in a multi-hour complex attack on Palestinian militias.
Al-Qassam brigades displayed a shift to more sophisticated battle tactics, including rigging houses to detonate when entered by Israeli soldiers. Primary relying on rockets, damage was inflicted on Israeli vehicles while Saraya al Quds,
DFLP, and
PFLP shelled advancing forces with mortar fire. The IDF conducted land and sea raids on central Gaza, specifically
Deir al-Balah to destroy militant command posts.
Siege of Gaza City
Israeli sources reported stiff resistance by Palestinian militants in Shujaiyya, in southern Gaza city, as the 188th Brigade was sent to fight in the neighbourhood.
Qassem Brigades targeted vehicles with RPGs Sheikh Radwan and Zaytoun, while Saraya al Quds fighters claimed two tandem-charged RPG and grenade attacks on Israeli forces on advancing axes in the Shujaiya and Zaytoun neighborhoods. Attempts to close in on Jabalia have resulted in significant Israeli casualties, with the IDF acknowledging Gadi Eizenkot's son been eliminated fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on 7 December. The Qassam Brigades claimed that its fighters killed the soldier when they detonated an
IED on a tunnel door on the eastward line of advance into Jabalia.[221]
In a video publicised by Saraya Al Quds, three militants take positions within the ruins of an urban centre in Gaza, as a Merkava arrives, firing at the militants with its machine guns. They then shoot from three positions with multiple rockets, overriding the
Trophy system and destroying the tank. A fighter can be seen rejoicing, exclaiming that the tank had "caught fire"[222]
10 December
The Times of Israel announced that 6 IDF soldiers were killed in fighting in the southern Gaza strip, after Hamas fighters detonated an IED targeting the Israeli 5th Brigade's 8111st Battalion forces in Khan Younis. Israeli forces announced that they conducted airstrikes and helicopter strikes in response and eliminated several Hamas fighters.[223]
12 December
Israel announced that a further 10 IDF soldiers had been killed in the fighting in the Gaza Strip, including a Colonel and 7 other soldiers of the
Golani Brigade, that were killed in the
Shuja'iyya area of Gaza after Hamas fighters ambushed them.[224]
15 December
The IDF released a statement announcing that they had
killed three of their own hostages by
friendly fire. According to the Israeli military, they "mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat" during operations in
Shuja'iyya and subsequently fired at them, killing them.[225][226][227] According to an Israeli military official on 16 December, the three hostages were shirtless and were carrying "a stick with a white cloth on it" when an Israeli soldier, who declared them to be "terrorists" after feeling "threatened", opened fire, killing two hostages and injuring the third, who was killed by Israeli reinforcements.[228]
18 December
Israel announced the deaths of 7 IDF soldiers, mostly killed in the fighting in the southern Gaza strip. Bringing the Israeli death toll to 53 since 1 December. The IDF stated they were facing tough opposition in Gaza.[229][230]
20 December
Qassam militants confronted Israeli vehicles in the
Khan Yunis axis, targeting a
Namer APC and an
IDF Caterpillar D9. In a video publication, Qassam militants are shown firing a rocket at a
Merkava, destroying the
Windbreaker and proving that
Yassin 105 rockets are able to bypass or override interception and damage tanks.[231]
24 December
Israel announced that 15 IDF soldiers had been killed in heavy fighting in Gaza in the 23–24 December period, including six killed when a Namer APC was hit by an anti-tank missile. The IDF also claimed to have killed Hamas' chief of supplies.[232][233]
Israel also withdrew from
Beit Hanoun amidst heavy fighting with various Palestinian armed groups. Returning civilians to the ruins of the town reported that no vehicles were in sight. Israeli forces continue to shell the city.[234][235]
30 December
Militants engaged Israeli vehicles in the Khan Yunis axis of the invasion. In an episode a tank is targeted by a rocket, tearing off a plate which lands near the militant demonstrating the capabilities of the Yassin 105 rockets against the Merkava's APS. Another fighter erupts from a tunnel, ambushing a tank in an unusual strategy recorded during the invasion where the militants sneak up to the vehicle and place and IED on them from zero distance. A Caterpillar Caterpillar D9 bulldozer is also targeted, setting it on fire.[236]
January 2024
6 January
The IDF claimed that it had completed the dismantlement of Hamas's "military framework" in the northern Gaza Strip as it moved to attack Hamas forces in Central Gaza.[237] The Institute for the Study of War warned that does not mean that Hamas forces are entirely eradicated and could reconstitute themselves.[238]
11 January
The IDF claimed that it had discovered over a thousand tunnel shafts in Gaza City alone with the majority being small sized and thus easily destroyed but larger tunnels needing complex engineering and demolition operations. Israeli security officials conceded that they had an underestimated the scale of Gaza's tunnels and that they have destroyed less than half of them so far. IDF described the change in Hamas tactics in
Northern Gaza after the dismantling of its command structure as going into "guerrilla mode".[239]
16 January
The ISW reported that the Palestinian militias were likely re-entering areas of the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli forces previously operated.[240]
17 January
Under U.S. pressure Israel continued withdrawing thousands of troops from Gaza despite concerns from Israeli officials of a possible surge in militant activity. According to IDF sources, Palestinian militants began launching rocket attacks from areas where IDF forces withdrew.[241]
18 January
By 18 January, the IDF stated that Hamas had begun to rebuild its armies in the occupied parts of Northern Gaza. The IDF had previously stated these armies were stripped of military capabilities but by 18 January the fighting strength of many battalions had been significantly restored.[242]
Since Israel announced its strategic shift under pressure of the U.S. and allies to reduce the intensity of fighting the number of deaths reported by the Gaza Health Ministry had also declined with the weekly average of daily deaths including both fighters and civilians falling to 151. However it could not be established if the percentage of civilian deaths had also reduced.[244] IDF soldiers filmed themselves destroying entire residential neighborhoods in Khan Younis.[245]
Israel reported that at least 24 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. 21 of which were killed while rigging a building for demolition, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the building they were in and caused a large chain explosion.[246] This brought the IDF death toll in Gaza to 219. This makes it the deadliest day for the IDF since the ground invasion began.[247]
Israel announced that it would begin
moving intoRafah, after declaring "victory" in Khan Younis.[248] On 3 February, Israeli attacks targeted eastern and central Rafah, reportedly killing at least twenty-eight people.[249] UN Human Rights High Commissioner
Volker Turk stated, "This sets off alarm bells for massive civilian casualties and further displacement to unknown location".[250] German Foreign Minister
Annalena Baerbock stated, "Taking action now in Rafah, the last and most overcrowded place, as announced by the Israeli defence minister, would simply not be justifiable".[251]
4 February
On 4 February, the
Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 92 people had been killed by Israeli attacks on Rafah.[252] At least two girls were killed on an attack at a kindergarten.[253] The intensifying Israeli attacks were reportedly centered in eastern Rafah.[254]
7 February
Axios reported that Israeli Defence Minister
Yoav Gallant stated to the U.S. Secretary of State that Israel would soon begin expanded ground operations in Rafah.[255] In Rafah, an Israeli airstrike bombed a civilian car next to an entertainment event for displaced children, reportedly killing at least one person.[256] Eleven people were killed in overnight airstrikes.[257] Six
Palestinian policemen were reportedly killed while clearing the road for an aid truck.[258][259]
8 February
The U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, "Any major military operation in Rafah at this time... would be a disaster, and we would not support it".[260] The U.S. requested Israel to create a plan and prioritise the safety of civilians which had increased due to refugees from other areas of Gaza. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that they have not observed signs of an imminent Israeli offensive into Gaza.[261]
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to prepare to invade Rafah.[262][263] An intense bombing campaign in west Rafah was reported, reportedly indicating an expanding ground invasion.[264] At least twelve people were killed in airstrikes in southern Rafah.[265]
9 February
Netanyahu ordered the IDF to plan for the "evacuation of the population" from Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister's Office claimed that elimination of Hamas remains impossible without the destruction of the four Hamas battalions in Rafah which is the last major population center in Gaza not occupied by the IDF.[266]Doctors Without Borders issued a strong warning in response, stating, "Israel's declared ground offensive on Rafah would be catastrophic and must not proceed. Today's announcement marks a dramatic escalation in this ongoing massacre."[267] EU foreign policy chief
Josep Borrell stated, "Reports of an Israeli military offensive on Rafah are alarming. It would have catastrophic consequences worsening the already dire humanitarian situation and the unbearable civilian toll."[268] Egypt sent 40 tanks to the Rafah border.[269] Eight people were killed and at least eighteen wounded in Israeli strikes on residential buildings in Rafah.[270]
10 February
Hanke Bruins Slot, the
Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, stated that Israel's planned assault on Rafah was "unjustifiable".[271] Canadian Foreign Minister
Melanie Joly stated Canada was "deeply concerned" about an Israeli invasion of Rafah.[272]Haaretz and Channel 12 stated Israel's plans for the Rafah invasion were not yet finalized.[273] Two Palestinians were killed after an Israeli strike on a police car in Rafah.[274] An unnamed Israeli official stated Palestinians in Rafah would be evacuated back northward.[275] At least 28 people were killed in Rafah by overnight Israeli attacks.[276]
11 February
In a call with
Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden stated Israel could invade Rafah with U.S. support when they had a "credible and executable plan" in place.[277]Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the
World Health Organization, stated reports of Israel's impending invasion were "extremely worrying".[278] The
Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated there would be "dire consequences" if Israel invaded Rafah.[279] Satellite imagery indicated Egypt had strengthened the border, including building earthen
berms and
security checkpoints.[280] The
Omani Foreign Ministry stated, "We warn of the serious repercussions of the continuation of the occupation in its indiscriminate aggression in the Gaza Strip and its plans to storm Rafah."[281] At least 40 people were reported killed in east Rafah.[282]Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud described Israel's attacks on Rafah police as an intentional attempt to create
civil disorder.[283]Micheál Martin, the Irish foreign minister, stated an Israeli invasion of Rafah would entail "grave violations of international humanitarian law".[284] The
Gulf Cooperation Council stated an invasion of Rafah would be a "blatant violation of international law".[285]
12 February
Israeli airstrikes hit the area around the Kuwait Hospital.[286] During a press brief with U.S. president Joe Biden,
King Abdullah II stated the world "cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah".[287]Stéphane Dujarric criticized Israel's stated plan to evacuate people northward, stating, "You can't send people back to areas that are littered with unexploded ordnance, not to mention a lack of shelter".[288] ICC prosecutor
Karim Khan stated he was "deeply concerned" by Israel's bombardment of Rafah.[289][290]French Foreign MinisterStéphane Séjourné stated an Israeli assault on Rafah would be unjustified.[291] At least 67 Palestinians were killed in Rafah during an
Israeli operation to rescue two Israeli captives.[292]
29 February
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and 750 were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians southwest of Gaza City. According to the IDF, the incident began when "dozens of Gazans" were injured in a
human stampede triggered by the entry of humanitarian trucks. Afterwards, the IDF opened fire on members of the crowd who approached them in a "threatening manner". The IDF released aerial footage which appeared to show hundreds of people streaming toward a convoy of aid trucks.[293][294]
March 2024
13 March
Palestinian sources reported that the IDF withdrew from Hamad Town in
Khan Younis.[295]
14 March
Media reported that Hamas executed the
Doghmush clan leader for allegedly stealing food and being in contact with Israel.[296] This was later denied by the family.[297]
Mid-March
A deputy military commander of Hamas
Marwan Issa was reportedly killed in an airstrike in mid-March.[298]
18 March
Israeli forces raided al-Shifa hospital again between 18 March and 1 April. The IDF clashed with Hamas fighters in the area.[299] Israeli forces killed Faiq al-Mabhouh, who they said was the head of the operations directorate of Hamas' internal security service. Hamas said al-Mabhouh was in charge of civil law enforcement and had been engaged in "purely civil and humanitarian activity,"[300] coordinating aid deliveries to northern Gaza.[301][302] Multiple news agencies reported that the IDF assaulted and detained al-Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul and more than 80 other people, including medical staff and other journalists, and confiscated and destroyed media equipment.[303][304] Al-Ghoul was released the following day, but could not verify the whereabouts of his colleagues.[305][306] The
Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "deeply alarmed and outraged by reports of the assault on Al-Jazeera reporter Ismail Al-Ghoul from Al-Shifa hospital and other journalists while doing their jobs reporting on the Israeli offensive on the hospital".[306]
According to the IDF a number of senior Hamas leader were killed during the fighting at the hospital, including Mahmoud Khalil Zakzuk, the deputy commander of Hamas's rocket unit in Gaza City and Raad Thabet, the head of recruitment and supply acquisition.[307] The IDF said it killed 200 people inside and around al-Shifa hospital. Time Magazine said it provided "no evidence that all were militants."[308] Photos of the hospital after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces showed its "walls blown out and frame blackened" by fire.[309] Hundreds of bodies were found on the hospital grounds, and Palestinian witnesses reported massacres in and around the site.[310]
23 March
On 23 March, at least 19 Palestinians were killed by the IDF while waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City.[311]
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush from tunnels in Khan Younis.[315]
7 April
Early in the morning of 7 April, the IDF withdrew all of its maneuvering ground forces from the Gaza Strip; notably, the
98th Division was pulled out of Khan Yunis, ending the Israeli presence in southern Gaza. The
Nahal Brigade became the only Israeli military unit remaining in the Gaza Strip, with the task of holding the "
Netzarim Corridor", a strip of land from
Be'eri to the Mediterranean coast.[316]
Twenty-two people are killed, including 18 children, in overnight
Israeli strikes in
Rafah.[318]
Casualties
Military casualties
The Israeli Army suffered heavy casualties during the current invasion. By 7 April 2024, 260 soldiers have been killed[33] and more than 1,552 were injured, per Israel. Among the deaths 29 were due to friendly fire incidents and accidents.[319] On November 2023 during a single episode the destruction of an armoured personnel carrier with anti-tank missiles killed 9 soldiers.[320] In another episode 10 IDF soldiers were killed in an ambush on 12 December at Shuja'iyya.[224] The bloodiest day so far was on 22 January when 24 IDF soldiers were killed after a attack on a tank rigged with explosives.[247] The current casualties surpass previous IDF tolls on
Operation Protective Edge and
Operation Cast Lead with 67 and six killed respectively.[321]
On 13 January 2024,
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor estimated that since the beginning of the war on 7 October, over 2,500 Palestinians killed were combatants, of whom 1,542 died during the Israeli invasion.[37][38]
On 21 January 2024, U.S. officials said to The Wall Street Journal, that the IDF eliminated 20 to 30% of Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip. But that was short for their aim of eliminating the group.[322] According to IDF claims 9,000 Hamas fighters were killed, another 8,000 are wounded with no capability to return to battle and another 2,300 have been arrested removing 48-60% of Hamas's forces from the battlefield. However it also noted the rate of Hamas deaths was also falling as Hamas reduced head on assaults against the IDF and became more reliant on underground tunnels.[323]
Civilian casualties
The Gaza Strip has faced massive civilian casualties during the invasion, with at least 31,000 Palestinians reportedly killed since 27 October according to the Gaza Health Ministry,[324] an estimate that is believed to be an undercount.[325] With almost half of the people in Gaza being under 14 years old, a very large number of children have been killed leading Gaza to be declared "the most dangerous place to be a child"[326]
Most civilian deaths during the invasion were caused by airstrikes with many killed during the strikes on Jabalia,
Fakhoora school,
Maghazi. Civilians have also been killed by Israeli soldier fire or shelling by tanks, in both reported and verified incidents.[327][328][329] Though the Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, civilian death rates have been estimated by outside sources. The Euro-med monitor, whose estimates exceed the Gaza Health Ministry's owing to the inclusion of missing bodies under rubble, has estimated that at least 22,000 civilians have been killed since 27 October.[citation needed] A study from the
Open University of Israel found that at least 61% of the Palestinians killed were civilians, and noted that the civilian to combatant death ratio was higher than the average from all wars in the second half of the 20th century.[330] Despite international skepticism, Israeli sources including IDF officials have deemed the Gaza health ministry's death toll accurate.[331]
A
Doctors Without Borders video shared by
Amnesty International head
Agnès Callamard stated, "This brutal annihilation of an entire populations health system stretches beyond what humanitarian aid can fix."[332] On 4 December,
Red Cross president
Mirjana Spoljaric Egger visited the Gaza Strip, stating, "The things I saw there are beyond anything that anyone should be in a position to describe."[333] On 10 December, Bushra Khalidi, an expert with
Oxfam, stated the situation was no longer "just a catastrophe, it's apocalyptic."[334]
UNICEF spokesperson Toby Fricker stated, "There is no safe place for children anywhere across the strip right now."[337] UNICEF: Children were disproportionately impacted by Israel's attack on Gaza.[338] On 13 November, UNICEF stated more than 700,000 children in Gaza were
displaced.[339] The
Palestine Red Crescent Society stated displaced children were suffering, due to power outages, lack of basic essentials, and "scenes of pain and fear."[340] The executive director of UNICEF, toured Gaza on 15 November, stating many children were buried under rubble and lacking medical care.[341] The head of pediatrics at
Nasser Medical Complex in
Khan Younis, stated due to the lack of clean water, he was witnessing the "most serious epidemic of
gastroenteritis" among children he had ever seen.[342]
Strategy
Israeli strategy
On 29 October, Israeli defense minister
Yoav Gallant said he expected the "second stage of the war" to last "months". Subsequent phases are expected to be the removal of small pockets of resistance, and, finally, withdrawal from Gaza.[343]
Even after Israeli troops entered the Gaza Strip and began to maintain a persistent physical presence in the region beginning on 27 October, Israel's military had adopted a strategy of referring to the invasion as "operations" and "raids" rather than an "invasion". According to the
Associated Press, this communications strategy was undertaken to preserve operational flexibility and to keep hostile forces guessing as to Israel's military plans.[344] The United States has urged Israel to avoid a full-scale invasion and to instead conduct "surgical" operations to avoid casualties and a regional escalation.[345] Israeli military sources said there were over 20,000
IDF troops in Gaza as of 31 October.[346]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will have overall security responsibility over the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period following the war.[347] European Commission president Von der Leyen stated that there should not be a long-term Israeli security presence in Gaza, and suggested a UN mandated peace force as a possibility;[348] while U.S. President Joe Biden said, "When this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution."[349] On 11 November, Netanyahu widened the split with the U.S. over postwar governance, saying that he was against the Palestinian Authority having a role there.[350] On 12 November 2023, Israeli security cabinet member Avi Dichter described Israeli strategy in northern Gaza as "
Nakba 2023".[351]
Hamas strategy
The military strategies employed by Hamas have historically encompassed a blend of conventional and insurgent tactics.[352] According to John Spencer of the Modern War Institute at West Point, in the 2023-2024 war, after the Israeli forces invaded Gaza, Hamas's main strategy was not to hold the terrain or defeat the Israeli forces but rather to prolong the fighting until the international pressure compels Israel to cease its operation.[353] Other analysts have argued that high civilian casualties increase international pressure on Israel to end its operation in Gaza.[354][355] Hamas strategy also relies on the
underground tunnel system which can be used for providing shelter for Hamas militants and leaders, storing weapons and the detention of hostages.[353]
In October 2023, disinformation experts uncovered an account on X that published false reports about Qatar threatening to cut off its gas exports if Israel continued to bombard the Gaza Strip.[359]
Pro-Hamas accounts have misrepresented footage from the
Syrian civil war as showing children being killed in Gaza.[360]
In February 2024, Israel's official X account posted a 30-second video listing the humanitarian aid it claimed to have provided for Gaza. The video included March 2022 footage of a camp in
Moldova for Ukrainian refugees that was falsely claimed to show tents and shelter equipment for Gazans. The video was subsequently deleted.[361][362]
Impersonations
Following the
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, an X account claiming to be an
Al Jazeera journalist said they had video of a "Hamas missile landing in the hospital". Al Jazeera subsequently clarified that they were not associated with the account, and it was later removed.[363] Another X account that promoted pro-Kremlin misinformation claimed The Wall Street Journal had reported that the explosion was caused by a
Mark 84 bomb; The Wall Street Journal had not published such a report.[364][365]
In November 2023, a video appearing to show a nurse at the
Al Shifa hospital went viral. She claimed that she was unable to treat patients because Hamas had taken over the entire hospital and were stealing fuel and medicine, with the video ending with her pleading for all Palestinians to leave Al Shifa. Many were quick to point out the falsehood in the video, as none of the documented doctors and nurses at the hospital recognize the woman depicted, and a reported Israeli accent and inability to speak clear Arabic.[366][367] Additionally, according to Esther Chan from RMIT FactLab CrossCheck, an analysis by open-source investigators had determined that the video was likely doctored to artificially include fake sounds of explosions.[368]
Allegations of crisis acting
Video evidence of atrocities in Gaza has been frequently dismissed as acting, and people falsely accused of being "crisis actors", in order to downplay the killing of civilians by Israeli airstrikes. A derogatory and dismissive phrase, "
Pallywood" is often used; the term is based on an unfounded fringe conspiracy theory that Palestinians are falsifying evidence of suffering. The
fact-checking organisation
Logically found that mention of the term has increased since October 7, particularly in Israel, the United States, and India.[369][370] Evidence that was falsely used to "prove" Palestinians were crisis actors include a video of body bags which appear to be moving, which was instead a video of a 2013 protest in Egypt.[370]
Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian blogger and singer who lives in Gaza, was falsely accused by several pro-Israeli figures, including the country's official Twitter account, of being a "crisis actor".[371][360][372] This included video of a Palestinian teenager wounded in a raid on
Tulkarm in July 2023, who was falsely presented as "Saleh in a hospital days before October 27".[371]
In November 2023, Israeli diplomat
Ofir Gendelman circulated a clip from a Lebanese short film, claiming that it was proof that Palestinians were faking videos and calling it an example of "Pallywood".[373][374] According to The Daily Beast, "Gendelman is a repeat offender when it comes to peddling misinformation about Palestinians".[373] The previous week, Gendelman peddled IDF training videos as war footage, and in 2021, he was found by international media to have misrepresented 2018 footage from Syria as current footage from Gaza.[373]
Dead children as dolls
A video showing a Palestinian child killed during an October 11 Israeli airstrike on
Zeitoun has been falsely claimed to be staged using a doll. The claim has been promoted by official Israeli government social media accounts, including the X accounts of Israel's embassies in France and Austria, as well as pro-Israel and anti-Hamas accounts.[375][369]
In early December, The Jerusalem Post published an article falsely claiming that a dead, 5-month-old Palestinian baby from Gaza was "a
doll". The Jerusalem Post would later delete the article and remove any mention of it on their social media pages. Though not mentioning the article directly, they published a statement saying that "The article in question did not meet our editorial standards and was thus removed."[376][377][374]
Sexual violence
On 25 March 2024, Al Jazeera took down its video of a woman named Jamila al-Hissi who said that Israeli soldiers had “raped women, kidnapped women, executed women, and pulled dead bodies from under the rubble to unleash their dogs on them” at
Al-Shifa hospital in its latest siege. Former managing director of Al Jazeera, Yasser Abu Hilalah, wrote on X, “Hamas investigations revealed that the story of the rape of women in Shifa Hospital was fabricated.” Abu Hilalah reported that al-Hissi “justified her exaggeration and incorrect talk by saying that the goal was to arouse the nation’s fervor and brotherhood.”[378]
During the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, numerous viral videos showed Israeli soldiers committing war crimes. A series of videos in mid-December 2023 showed IDF troops burning food, vandalizing a shop, and ransacking private homes.[379] The
Euro-Med Monitor recorded instances where soldiers deliberately stole civilians' assets, including laptops, gold, and large quantities of cash.[380] Euro-Med Monitor also reported on soldiers recorded harassing corpses, dragging them, urinating on them, and amputating them.[381] In a social media post, the
Council on American–Islamic Relations condemned a video of an Israeli soldier stating, "Maybe I killed a girl, she was 12, but I'm looking for a baby."[382] On 2 January 2024, Palestinian diplomat Laith Arafeh condemned reports that Israeli soldiers kidnapped a baby from Gaza.[383] On 24 February, a video went viral of an IDF soldier setting a residential neighborhood on fire while saying, "A little BBQ is great fun".[384]
On 11 February, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated Israel's planned invasion of Rafah was part of a "continued violation of international law and international humanitarian law".[385]
Over 100 landmarks have been destroyed or damaged by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip according to a report by Heritage for Peace group.[388] The
Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which was agreed to by both Palestinians and Israelis, protects sites of
cultural heritage.[389] According to the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh, hundreds of ancient sites, historic monuments, museums and archives have been damaged or destroyed since the war started. Of the 325 registered archeological and ancient sites, 200 of them were destroyed by the Israeli army by January 2024, according to the Gaza Government Media office, along with an estimated 90 million shekels ($24.5 million) of money, gold and artifacts had been stolen by IDF soldiers.[390]
It was reported in January 2024, that the Director of the
Israel Antiquities Authority Eli Askozido, had shared photos on his official Instagram account of reportedly stolen artifacts from the Gaza Strip, that had been stored in a warehouse. The post was later deleted and Askozido posted a statement claiming his department had only been called into document the items and they had not been brought into Israel.[390]
Homes
By 7 December 2023, more than one third of homes in Gaza were destroyed by Israel, leading to charges of domicide, referring to the mass destruction of dwellings. Although the term is accepted in academia, it is yet to be defined in international law.[55] Videos posted by IDF soldiers to social media have shown them breaking into Palestinian homes that had been evacuated or destroyed and looting valuables and or daily items.[396] The Euro Med Human Rights Monitor has reported widespread looting by IDF troops in where they stole assets and money from Palestinian citizens, including items like computers and jewelry. According to a legal researcher at the Ramallah based human rights organization Al-Haq, Israeli authorities have justified the looting as that the items and money are somehow belongs to Hamas, while others have claimed it shows intentional destruction of property and collective punishment.[397]
According to
Al Jazeera English, on 15 October, "Iran warned Israel of regional escalation if the Israeli military [entered] Gaza for a ground invasion". Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that if efforts to stop Israeli attacks in Gaza failed, it was increasingly likely that "other fronts [would] be opened".[400]
United States
In an interview aired on 15 October, U.S. President
Joe Biden said it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again but that eliminating Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south is "a necessary requirement".[401] U.S. officials said the Biden administration advised Israel to delay the ground invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostage negotiations.[402]
Former CIA director
David Petraeus warned that a ground offensive in Gaza "could be
Mogadishu on steroids very quickly."[403]
Egypt
On 25 October, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned that a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip would cause "many, many civilian casualties".[404] On 6 February, the Egyptian government expressed fears that an Israeli ground invasion of
Rafah could push hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to try to flee across the border into Egypt.[405]
Saudi Arabia
On 27 October,
Saudi officials strongly cautioned the United States that an Israeli ground operation in Gaza could have devastating consequences for the Middle East.[406]
Israeli public
On 19 October, a poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv found that 65% of Israelis supported a ground invasion and 21% opposed it.[407][408] In comparison, according to a poll conducted for Israel's Maariv newspaper on 25 and 26 October, only 29% of Israelis supported an immediate large-scale ground offensive into the Gaza Strip. Maariv said that "It is almost certain that the developments on the matter of the hostages, which is now topping the agenda, have had a great impact on this shift."[409] According to a survey carried out by the
Hebrew University on 7–9 December on the post-war handling of Gaza 56% of Israelis opposed the annexation of Gaza with only 33% in favor while 11% were uncertain. When questioned on who should administer Gaza in the immediate post-war period 23% of Israelis supported a coalition of moderate Arab states, 22% for Israeli military rule, 18% for an international force take charge of the territory, 18% for Israel annexing Gaza and 11% support for the return of the Palestinian Authority.[410] (see also
Proposed Israeli resettlement of the Gaza Strip)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, that represents the families of
kidnapped Israelis, complained that no one had explained "whether the ground operation endangers the well-being of the 229 hostages".[411] MK
Ahmad Tibi stated Israel's invasion of Rafah would be a war crime.[412]
Palestinians
Palestinians in Gaza reacted most strongly to the violence they experienced at the hands of IDF soldiers during the invasion, with one man whose brother was killed by an Israel sniper stating, "This is not an occupation. This is an enemy who kills without a reason."[413] One woman who had
evacuated from northern to central then southern Gaza stated, "Let the Israelis kill us all; let them ethnically cleanse what remains of the Palestinians."[414] Another woman who had remained in
Gaza City and was sheltering at
al-Shifa Hospital, stated in February 2024, "Our houses were destroyed. Our children were killed. Where should we go? The shooting must stop so we can find a place to live."[415]
On 6 February, West Bank politician
Mustafa Barghouti stated, "Any military operations in Rafah – with its limited space and crowdedness with over 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by the Israeli army – would lead to brutal massacres unprecedented in modern history."[416] Palestinians in Rafah feared a permanent displacement like 1948.[417] On 10 February, Palestinian president
Mahmoud Abbas stated the impending Israeli invasion of Rafah would create "another Nakba, which will push the whole region into endless wars".[418]Hanan Ashrawi stated "We are in the midst of a genocide" in Gaza.[419]
International organizations
In advance of an expected ground invasion of Rafah, UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres stated, "Such an action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences."[420] The UN General Assembly President
Dennis Francis stated, "I am shocked and deeply dismayed by the news of an Israeli military offensive into the south of the Gaza Strip. I join the Secretary-General in pleading on behalf of the multitudes of innocent civilians with nowhere safe to go".[421]
Save the Children stated, "Where is there left for the population to go? They have been already moved from the north of Gaza, from the central areas of Gaza – moved around like pieces on a chess board to achieve military objectives. There is nowhere left for them to move."[422] The
Norwegian Refugee Council stated, "An expansion of hostilities could turn Rafah into a zone of bloodshed and destruction that people won't be able to escape. There is nowhere left for people to flee to."[423] Omar Shakir, the
Human Rights Watch director for Israel and Palestine stated, "There's nowhere safe to go in Gaza. The ICJ has ordered Israel to prevent genocide. The [international] community should act to prevent further atrocities."[424]
Al Mezan Center stated, "The international community must act now to halt the ground invasion of Rafah."[425] The
Carter Center stated "Ordering this new wave of displacement of Palestinians will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis".[426]Catherine M. Russell, the president of
UNICEF, stated, "Some 1.3M civilians are pushed into a corner, living on streets or shelters. They must be protected. They have nowhere safe to go".[427]
^"Qassam Brigades fighting Israeli troops on several fronts: Abu Obaida". Al Jazeera. 4 November 2023.
Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023. In the last 48 hours, Hamas fighters destroyed 24 Israeli military vehicles, including a tank, an armoured personnel carrier, and a bulldozer with anti-armour weapons, notably Al Yassin 105 shells.
^"Beloved educator and son of former Netanyahu aide among 5 reservists killed in Gaza". The Times of Israel. 12 November 2023.
Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Of the five soldiers, four were members of the 551st Brigade's 697th Battalion and were killed by a blast from a booby-trapped tunnel shaft next to a mosque in the Beit Hanoun area. The troops were not inside the tunnel. The IDF identified them as Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yossi Hershkovitz, Master Sgt. (res.) Matan Meir, and Master Sgt. (res.) Sergey Shmerkin.
^Dubai, Dov Lieber in Tel Aviv and Omar Abdel-Baqui in (22 November 2023).
"Inside Israel's Campaign to Prove a Gaza Hospital Was a Hamas Command Center". The Wall Street Journal.
Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023. While many security analysts agree the latest evidence Israel has released increasingly suggests a Hamas presence at the hospital, most say they have yet to see something that constitutes a smoking gun showing it was a command center for Hamas, as Israel has alleged.
^Vasilyeva, Nataliya; Barnes, Joe (23 November 2023).
"Inside the tunnels beneath Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital". The Daily Telegraph.
ISSN0307-1235.
Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023. While the footage does prove the existence of tunnels underneath the complex, it remains unclear whether they formed part of a Hamas command centre, as Israel claims.
^"Crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories"(PDF). Amnesty International. 23 November 2023.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023. Amnesty International has no evidence to indicate that al-Shifa hospital has been used for anything other than treating patients during the current conflict in 2023. Amnesty International has so far not seen any credible evidence to support Israel's claim that al-Shifa is housing a military command centre – and indeed Israel has repeatedly failed to produce any evidence to substantiate this claim, which it has promoted since at least the 2008-9 Operation Cast Lead
^"Back to the Front Line: Resistance Roundup – DAY 56". 1 December 2023.
Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023. Al-Quds Brigades published footage of what it says is the wreckage of an Israeli Skylark drone that was reportedly shot down in the skies of central Gaza
^Huynh, Benjamin Q.; Chin, Elizabeth T.; Spiegel, Paul B. (6 December 2023). "No evidence of inflated mortality reporting from the Gaza Ministry of Health". The Lancet. 403 (10421): 23–24.
doi:
10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02713-7.
PMID38070526.
^The request for provisional measures is made under Article 74 of the
Rules of the Court, which states that "A request for the indication of provisional measures shall have priority over all other cases."