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War in Israel: Update on Current Situation
October 10, 2024 - October 7 War, Day 370
(Note: Due to the upcoming Succot festival, the next update will come out during the holiday on Monday, October 21).
Join the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues on Tuesday, October 15 at noon ET for a webinar on Israel’s Economic Resilience: Emergency Social Loans Reaching Arab-Owned Business. Speakers will include Matthew Salter, Director of Jewish Federations’ Israel Emergency Loan Fund, to discuss the impact of the Loan Fund on Israeli Arab-owned businesses.
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The North
Israeli government and security figures believe that Hezbollah has been dealt a severe blow following multi-pronged intelligence and military strikes by Israel. These attacks have included the successful elimination of many of Hezbollah’s top leaders (such as the group’s long-time head Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his replacements), a vast number of targeted attacks on the terror organization’s arms and other supplies, as well as intelligence operations against the group’s communications capabilities.
The IDF says that it carried out over 110 airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day, striking infrastructure above and below ground.
In total, the IDF has made 10,900 air attacks against Hezbollah, killing 515 terrorists, including much of its senior leadership, in the past year.
Despite these substantial hits, Hezbollah remains a strong, functioning power and continues to attack Israel. It has launched 12,400 projectiles against the Jewish state in the last year.
Yesterday, an Israeli couple was killed in their home as a result of a rocket barrage on the city of Kiryat Shmona near the northern border. Debris from the 20-rocket attack hit the home of the two 40-year-olds, as well as at least four other locations in the city. Rockets were also launched today towards the coastal region south of Haifa, including Zichron Yaakov and Caesarea. Other towns and cities such as Tzfat (Safed), Metulla, and Rosh Pina have experienced daily rocket attacks.
Yesterday, IDF Sgt. Maj. (res.) Ronny Ganizate was killed fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Ganizate, 36, of Givat Shmuel, was the 12th Israeli soldier killed in the ground offensive against Hezbollah since Israel launched an offensive on September 23 aimed at removing the terror group from southern Lebanon. He made Aliyah from France at 18 as a lone soldier and served for over 7 months since the war began. He was the father of three young children.
Also, yesterday, the IDF demolished a small Hezbollah tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon. The 60-foot-long tunnel had no exit in Israeli territory, and its path crossed the UN-recognized Blue Line.
Iran and its Proxies
Reports suggest that Israel is preparing for a retaliatory strike against Iran following the Islamic Republic’s firing of more than 180 ballistic missiles against Israel just over a week ago. Yesterday, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “Iran’s attack on Israel was deadly, but not accurate. Our retaliation will be deadly, accurate, and surprising.”
In addition to Hezbollah in the north, numerous other Iranian proxies continue to target Israel. These include:
Hamas, whose remaining forces continue to fight Israeli troops in Gaza, as well as launch rockets against Israeli southern towns. Some 17,000 Hamas fighters have been killed (about half its original force) in the year since fighting began. During that time, it is believed that 90% of Hamas rockets have been destroyed, and 22 out of 24 of its fighting battalions have been dismantled.
The Houthis. Ongoing attempts by the rebel group in Yemen to fire missiles at Israel have twice led to substantial Israeli retaliation against strategic Yemeni sites. Some 180 missiles have been fired at Israel from Yemen since October 7, 2023.
Iraqi armed groups. Here, too, pro-Iranian groups have fired numerous missiles and drones at Israeli targets.
Syrian forces. Iranian groups, including the country’s Revolutionary Guards, operate widely in Syria and have attacked Israel on multiple occasions. At least 60 projectiles from Syria have been launched against Israel, which continues to hit the Iranian presence in the country.
Pro-Iranian groups in Israel and the West Bank. Many Hamas and other terrorists have attempted to undertake terror attacks within Israel. Yesterday, in the city of Hadera (between Tel Aviv and Haifa), a terrorist went on a stabbing rampage in four locations, leaving one dead and five wounded. The assailant was a 36-year-old Arab Israeli. He was shot in the leg and apprehended by a municipality security guard as he was trying to escape on a motorcycle. In the past year, there have been 5,500 terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, and 5,250 terrorists have been arrested.
Hostages
Yarden Bibas, held hostage by Hamas since October 7, marked his second birthday as a hostage today. His family noted his birthday with an event in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, and Bibas' sister Ofri spoke at the event. Yarden is the father of the two remaining children held hostage in Gaza.
International
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call with US President Joe Biden yesterday for the first time in nearly 50 days. The call came as Israel aims to coordinate its response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack last week with the White House.
According to some reports, the United States is aiming to use Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah as an opportunity to push aside the terror group on the path to installing a new Lebanese government.
A Year of War in Numbers
826 Israeli civilians have been killed, as well as 68 foreign citizens and 804 members of the security forces, making a total of 1698 killed. 25,000 Israelis (civilians and soldiers) have been wounded.
There are currently 35 known bodies being held by Hamas, and 66 hostages are thought to be alive. One hundred seventeen hostages have returned alive, as well as 37 bodies (through rescues and agreements).
67,500 evacuated Israelis have returned to their homes, and 75,500 remain internally displaced. Around 25% of evacuees are being housed in hotels. The Israeli government has so far spent around $2.3 billion on the evacuees.
It is estimated that the war has cost Israel $5.2 billion in lost tourism alone.
See more figures here.
Read this op-ed by Jewish Federations of North America Executive VP Shira Hutt on what it means to be Jewish in North America one year after October 7
Further Reading
Jewish Federations Resources
Jewish Federations have collectively raised over $854 million and allocated more than $673 million for humanitarian needs and economic support in Israel since October 7. For an updated list of allocations, click here.
Jewish Federations' Backgrounders:At-Risk Youth | LGBQT CommunityYoung Children | VolunteersWomen | Pastoral GuidanceBedouin Communities | Food Security | People with Disabilities
Resources: Readers can see links to resources, background, research and other information on the current war here; can access a Jewish Federations toolkit here, and can refer to the Community Mobilization Center Resource Hub for the latest talking points and tools.
Details: For information on the latest overall numbers from the conflict, see here.Read the latest communication from the Community Mobilization Center here.
For more information, please contact: Jewish Federations of North America’s Dani Wassner dani.wassner@jewishfederations.org. Subscribe to this weekly update here.
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