Click to see full-size image. By the Israeli Air Force.
On October 15, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continued strikes on the Gaza Strip from air, land and sea in preparations for a ground invasion.
The health ministry in Gaza said in its most recent update that 2450 Palestinians have been killed and more than 9,200 others have been wounded in IDF strikes since the outbreak of the war in the strip after the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel.
An earlier update by the ministry revealed that more than 700 children and 400 women were among those killed by Israeli fire.
At least 1,300 Israelis were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded in the surprise Palestinian attack. Hundreds others were captured or went missing. The IDF has so far acknowledged losing 289 troops.
The chief of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which has been leading the bombing campaign on Gaza, said that fighter jets and drones are “aggressively” striking the Strip to clear as many threats as possible before ground forces begin their expected offensive.
“We are preparing the arena for an as effective as possible operation. Removing as many threats as possible from the ground and air,” IAF chief Major General Tomer Bar said in a call with reporters.
“We will do what is necessary, aggressively, so that if it is decided to maneuver, we will allow the best ground entry that will give the troops operational freedom of action,” the commander added.
The heavy Israeli bombardment provoked more mortar and rocket attacks by Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and other armed factions in Gaza. The attacks targeted nearby settlements as well as military bases and gatherings. Tel Aviv city in central Israel was also targeted with heavy rockets.
In addition, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, released footage showing the launch of suicide drones against Israeli military targets.
The IDF also faced several attacks on the Lebanon front during the day. In the morning, Hezbollah attacked a military center in the settlement of Shtula in the occupied Shebaa Farms with an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), killing a civilian and wounding at least three others. The group also targeted the nearby al-Rahib site with direct fire and hit a Merkava tank that was deployed there with ATGM.
In the afternoon, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted two Merkava tanks and armored personnel carriers at an IDF site near the settlement of Hanita with ATGMs. Later, the group targeted the sites of Jal al-Alam, Birkat Risha, Ramya, al-Manara and al-Abad with direct fire and destroyed surveillance equipment on a fence near the setting of Metula.
Hamas fighters also launched a salvo of 20 rockets from southern Lebanon at settlements in northern Israel. Material losses were reported.
The IDF shelled southern Lebanon after the attacks. Attack helicopters also carried out a series of strikes against targets of Hezbollah.
The attacks were in response to recent Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon which claimed the lives of a journalist and two civilians as well as in support of Palestinian people in Gaza.
Fighting on the Lebanese front is expected to intensify once the IDF launches its ground attack on Gaza. Hezbollah appears to be willing to go all the way in order to support its Palestinians allies in the Strip.
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