Daily Recap: Hamas - Israel War, October 21st, 2023 (20:00) - Day 15

Field Notes from Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, IDF Spokesperson to International Media

Two weeks have passed since Saturday, October 7th, and the world is beginning to forget.

Everyone in Israel has had a loved one killed or injured. We all have funerals to go to, friends to bury, families to comfort.

Within that chaos, we must also endure global hate and ignorance from people who refuse to comprehend that this isn’t a war between Israel and Gaza, but rather a war between Israel and Hamas.

Strangers around the world hurry to dust off their signs and flags when we target and neutralize known terrorists who are willing to kill and kidnap children, but sit silently when a terrorist rocket explodes in a Gazan hospital or when Hamas threatens the lives of Gazans attempting to evacuate south for their safety.

It is truly baffling how people condemn the IDF for striking terrorist targets before they condemn Hamas for building terrorist infrastructure in civilian areas.

It is truly baffling how people condemn Israel for halting the electricity we were voluntarily supplying to Gaza before they condemn Gaza’s elected governing body, Hamas, for not supplying its civilians with electricity in the first place.

It is truly baffling how people will condemn Israel before they will condemn an internationally recognized terrorist organization.

We are slipping into a time in which the facts of a matter are unimportant unless they are as shocking or interesting as the lies spread regarding it.

The people of Israel are here, standing strong, fighting for their home.

Waiting for the world to see our reality.

Southern Arena:

Our forces in the field continue to train and prepare for the next stages of combat, including ground operations.

Our goal remains to destroy Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities, and our top operational priority remains to dismantle Hamas’ chain of command by neutralizing the terrorist organization’s senior operatives.

The IDF continues to strike military targets belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, including operational command centers, anti-tank missile launchers, strategic Hamas infrastructure, and observation posts.

IDF forces deployed in the southern arena maintain high vigilance and are ready to face any threat and prevent attempted infiltrations.

Northern Arena 

Residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shmona have been instructed to evacuate to state-funded accommodations for their own safety. Some have made a decision to stay, which will be respected at this time in accordance with the security situational assessment.

Terrorists in southern Lebanon continue to fire anti-tank missiles at IDF forces and attempt to infiltrate the State of Israel. The IDF is responding to every such attempt and attack by striking Hezbollah terrorist targets or opening fire toward the origins of the attacks.

Yesterday, SSGT (res.) Omer Balva, a reservist in the Artillery Corps, was killed by anti-tank missile fire adjacent to the northern border. The IDF will not stand by as its soldiers and civilians are attacked.

Homefront

Israeli southern, central and northern communities continue to be targeted by rocket barrages fired by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza and southern Lebanon, including Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah.

Since Hamas started this war, 307 IDF soldiers have been killed in combat. 210 hostages are being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, and 100 people are still missing. Approximately 7,000 rockets have been launched toward Israeli territory, with 550 rockets misfiring and falling within Gaza.

Attached is footage from IDF training exercises in preparation for further combat: https://bit.ly/3s2kQpv

‏Attached is a link of the IDF website, where further updates on the fallen soldiers have been published: https://www.idf.il/59780

Attached the following statement of the IDF Spokesperson RDML Daniel Hagar regarding the danger of misfired rockets: