Overview[1]
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The southern sector: IDF forces continued its integrated ground maneuver, focusing on Gaza City and a number of locations in the northern Gaza Strip. The forces uncovered more evidence of Hamas’s use of the civilian population as human shields. Hamas is trying to minimize the IDF’s achievements by claiming that the forces have stalled in the places they entered on the first day of the maneuver and have been prevented from advancing. They also deny the IDF’s claims that Hamas headquarters are located in hospitals. -
According to an unofficial estimate, since October 7, approximately 1,200Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 352 of them soldiers and officers; 239 civilian and military abductees are held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Hamas often relates to the issue of the abductees and an exchange deal conditioned on a ceasefire, distinguishing between civilian and military abductees. -
The Gaza Strip: According to reports, the situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate and there are shortages of food, water and electricity. As part of the battle for hearts and minds, Hamas has recently been increasing the use of the term “Israel’s war of starvation,” and claiming it is a deliberate measure of collective punishment against the population. Several dozen aid trucks will arrive in the Gaza Strip after they have been inspected. The exodus of foreign citizens from the Gaza Strip continues. -
Hamas: Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, who lives in Beirut, was interviewed by the Hamas-affiliated al-Aqsa TV and discussed the war in Gaza, Hamas’ situation and the aid and support it receives from abroad. He also called on the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria to start a campaign against Israel. -
The northern sector: Hezbollah continued to attack IDF posts and the cities, towns and villages in the Galilee. Hezbollah forces were reportedly being transferred from Syria to Lebanon and equipped with sophisticated weapons. Meanwhile, voices are heard in Lebanon warning against being drawn into a war that would harm the country. -
Judea and Samaria: The Israeli security forces’ counterterrorism activities continued, focusing on the Jenin refugee camp. The vehicle of an Israeli family was attacked near the Gitai Junction; the father was mortally wounded. -
The Arab arena: Senior Jordanian officials are ruling out the idea that the Gaza Strip would be managed by Arab and international forces the day after the war. -
The international arena: A summit gathering in Paris brought together officials from 80 Western and Arab nations and organizations, including the UN, with the aim of providing urgent aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, including the creation of a maritime aid corridor; Israel was not asked to send a representative.
The Combat Arena
IDF activity on the ground
- The integrated ground maneuver: The IDF ground forces, in cooperation with forces from the sea and the air, continued to operate in a number of centers in northern and central Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman, November 8 and 9, 2023):
- Gaza City: Hamas air and sea units were damaged and many terrorists were killed; more than 700 RPGs were seized. The activity revealed that Hamas operatives use ambulances for operational purposes, knowing that the IDF does not attack them.
- Beit Hanoun: In a joint action with engineering forces, terrorist tunnels were located and destroyed, and the shaft of a terrorist tunnel located near an UNRWA school was exposed (IDF spokesman, November 8, 2023).
- Jabalia: After about ten hours of fighting, the IDF completed the takeover of a Hamas military stronghold in western Jabalia. The forces fought against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives both above ground and in tunnels. The fighters killed terrorists, seized weapons and exposed tunnel shafts, including a shaft located near a kindergarten, and documents revealing operational plans were seized. The IDF spokesman reported that since the beginning of the fighting in the Gaza Strip, IDF forces had destroyed 130 tunnel shafts.

Right: Locating underground infrastructure. Left: Destruction of a tunnel (IDF spokesman’s website, November 8, 2023)
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- The Sheikh Radwan neighborhood (northern Gaza Strip): IDF fighters located a site for the production and storage of UAVs, as well as Hamas weapons stored in a building in the heart of a residential neighborhood near schools.

The weapons found in Sheikh Radwan (IDF spokesman’s website, November 9, 2023)

IDF activity on the ground (IDF spokesman’s website, November 9, 2023)
- Aerial activity: While assisting the ground forces, Israeli Air Force aircraft continued attacking terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip. Directed by intelligence, Ibrahim Abu Musab was eliminated in an aerial targeted killing. He was head of the anti-tank missile unit of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades’ Central Camps Battalion.

Attacking targets in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman’s website, November 9, 2023)

Right: Flares and aerial strikes near the Shati refugee camp (QudsN X account, November 8, 2023). Left: Air Force strikes in Gaza (QudsN X account, November 8, 2023)
- Naval activity: Assisting the ground maneuver, Israeli Navy forces attacked a Hamas anti-tank missile launching position used to target IDF forces.
Reactions to the IDF activity
- Hamas held a press conference in Beirut to report the developments in the war. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas figure, falsely claimed the IDF forces were stalled where they had entered on the first day of the ground operation and were prevented from advancing. He falsely claimed Netanyahu and the IDF commanders continued to lie about the hospitals and claim that Hamas was using them. He said Hamas had refuted their claims and again called on the UN, the W.H.O. and the Red Cross to send delegations to all the hospitals in the Gaza Strip and prove that Israel’s claims were false. He also called on the Biden administration to stop planning the government in the Gaza Strip after the campaign, since the “resistance [terrorist organizations] had the upper hand” and no power in the world could impose itself on the Palestinians. He claimed all the talk about humanitarian pauses in the fighting was untrue and a ploy to drag out time to allow Israel to continue its “crimes” (al-Jazeera Facebook page, November 8, 2023).
Rocket fire
- During the past day, sporadic rocket and mortar shell fire continued to fired at the cities, towns and villages near the Gaza Strip.
- Since the beginning of the war, about 9,000 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. About 10% of them were failed launches that fell in the Gaza Strip and the sea.
Israeli casualties
- According to unofficial data, since October 7, approximately 1,200 people have been killed. According to the IDF spokesman, 352 of them are soldiers and officers; 239 abducted civilians and soldiers are being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip; 35 of them children and adolescents under the age of 18 and 32 over the age of 65. Five abducted have been released.
The issue of the abductees
- At a Hamas press conference in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that there would be no ceasefire without the release of all the abductees. He claimed that Netanyahu was trying in vain to connect military personnel to the abductees, since the foreign abductees, who were Hamas’ “guests,” would be released, but the security conditions on the ground had to be met “to ensure their safety.” Regarding the soldiers, he said Israel would have to pay the price demanded by Hamas (al-Jazeera Facebook page, November 8, 2023).
- Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, claimed in an interview that Hamas was prepared for a comprehensive deal of “all the captives for all the captives [Palestinian terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails]” (Hamas Telegram channel, November 8, 2023).
- Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, said that as far as Hamas was concerned, the issue of the captives was still valid. He reiterated that the only path forward was a full or partial prisoner exchange deal. He said there were female [Palestinian] prisoners in Israeli prisons and that they had female Israeli women prisoners [in the Gaza Strip], and the same was true for sick and elderly prisoners. He said there were Hamas “fighters” [terrorist operatives] in Israeli prisons, and captured Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, he claimed, there was no solution to the prisoner issue except a category-for-category exchange deal or an overall deal. He accused Israel of sabotaging efforts to reach a deal (Hamas Telegram channel in Judea and Samaria, November 8, 2023).
- Ghazi Hamed, a member of Hamas’ political bureau in the Gaza Strip, said he could not state they were approaching a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip. He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed he was working for the release of the abductees being held by Hamas, but did not agree with any of ideas which had been proposed. Hamed claimed that Israel was the main obstacle to finding solutions to the issue of the abductees held by Hamas (Hezbollah-affiliated al-Mayadeen TV website, November 8, 2023).
The Gaza Strip
Palestinian casualties
- Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Hamas-controlled ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, said as of 3:30 p.m., the number of dead in the Gaza Strip stood at 10,812 and the number of wounded at 26,905 (Shehab Telegram channel, November 9, 2023).
The situation in Gaza
- In response to the IDF’s call, residents of the northern Gaza Strip continued to move south and evacuate the Gaza City area. The IDF estimated that during the past day more than 50,000 residents had moved to the southern Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman, November 8, 2023).

Residents from the north of the Gaza Strip on their way south (Wafa YouTube channel, November 8, 2023)
- At a Hamas press conference in Beirut, Bassam Na’im, chairman of Hamas’ political and foreign relations department, accused Israel of causing the situation in the Gaza Strip:
- He falsely claimed Israel had cut off the water from the entire Gaza Strip since the beginning of the campaign and had recently destroyed the remaining water reservoirs, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip and in Gaza City. He said the amount of potable water in the Strip was extremely limited, and the Palestinians were forced to consume polluted water and seawater. He called the [alleged] the “water war” a crime against humanity and collective punishment.
- He accused UNRWA of capitulating to Israel’s threats and abandoning its responsibility towards hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City, leaving them without shelter, water, food or medical services. He added that the actions of UNRWA and its employees were in collaboration with Israel and its plan to displace the Palestinians
- He falsely claimed Israel pursued a policy of starvation against the Palestinians, in particular in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. He claimed that due to the shortage of flour, the scarcity of water and attacks on bakeries, the Palestinians were suffering from a severe shortage of bread.
- Regarding the public health sector, he said that Israel had attacked 120 medical institutions, and 18 hospitals and 40 medical institutions had stopped functioning because of bombings or lack of fuel. He claimed the remaining hospitals were using their own secondary generators. He added that 2% of the residents of the Gaza Strip were dead, injured or missing (al-Jazeera Facebook page, November 8, 2023).

The press conference in Beirut (Palinfo, November 8, 2023)
- In the battle for hearts and minds, Hamas has been increasing its use of the term “war of starvation,” falsely claiming it is Israel’s deliberate collective punishment against the population in the Gaza Strip, in addition to Hamas’ continual narrative about the alleged water crisis. Hamas often publishes photos of residents standing in line to fill water containers and of residents cooking food for the masses in the public space (Shehab, November 8 and 9, 2023).

Cooking food in Rafah (Wafa YouTube channel, November 8, 2023)
- A video was published documenting the International Red Cross escorting trucks of medical equipment to Shifa Hospital, a donation from the W.H.O. The video shows Dr. Yusuf Abu Rish, Hamas deputy minister of health in Gaza, receiving the aid (QudsN account X, November 8, 2023). UNRWA said it had helped bring the aid to Shifa Hospital, which was the central hospital in Gaza, and the aid delivered was insufficient (al-Quds, November 9, 2023).

Trucks bringing medical equipment to Shifa Hospital (QudsN X account, November 8, 2023)
- According to reports, the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza received several ambulances donated by Kuwait. The organization is now engaged in equipping the vehicles in preparation for putting them to use after several of their ambulances were damaged during the war and rendered useless (Hassan Aslih’s X account, November 8, 2023). The IDF spokesman stated that Hamas terrorist operatives use ambulances for operational purposes because the IDF does not attack ambulances.

Ambulances donated by Kuwait delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza (Hassan Aslih’s X account, November 8, 2023)
The Rafah Crossing
- According to reports in the Palestinian media, the Rafah Crossing was opened on the morning of November 9, 2023, for the evacuation of the wounded and Palestinians with foreign citizenship. It was also reported that Egypt brought 96 humanitarian aid trucks to the Nitzana Crossing for Israeli inspection before they entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing (Ma’an, November 9, 2023).
- Bassam Na’im claimed it was possible to begin evacuating the Russians and citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States, but confirmation had not yet been received from Israel, and Russians were again not included in the list of citizens evacuated from the Strip on November 8, 2023. Regarding the process of evacuating foreigners, he claimed Hamas had no role or authority in the process and it was carried out by Israel and the United States, which manage the lists: they send them to Egypt and they are sent to the [Hamas] ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip for publication on its official website. He claimed Hamas did not prevent anyone from leaving the Gaza Strip (Russia Today website, November 8, 2023).
- Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, visited the Rafah Crossing and stated said the atrocities committed by the Palestinian “armed groups” [terrorist operatives] were war crimes, as was the holding of hostages. He stated that Israel’s [alleged] “collective punishment” of Palestinian civilians was also a war crime, as it was enforcing an “illegal evacuation” of civilians (Reuters, November 9, 2023).
Hamas
- Interviewed by Hamas’ al-Aqsa TV, Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, who lives in Beirut, related to a number of issues (Shehab, November 8, 2023):
- The campaign in the Gaza Strip: He said the deeper penetration of IDF forces into Gaza meant an increase in the loss of soldiers and armored vehicles. Although the tanks may control some areas, [Hamas] fighting at zero range against the tanks and soldiers will not stop, and they will sink into the “swamp of the resistance.”
- The [alleged] presence of a headquarters under Shifa hospital: He called it “a ridiculous claim, “since the overcrowded hospital, where tens of thousands of patients and displaced persons were housed, could not serve as a military command center.”
- Israeli policy: He claimed Israel’s intention was to displace the population of the Gaza Strip from the north to the south, and originally to move it outside the Gaza Strip. The first and second steps failed. He claimed that “only 25% of the population” had left the north for the south, and Hamas understood that when aircraft, tanks and artillery attack houses over the heads of their owners, it was only natural that some families and children would move south.
- Mobilization for the “campaign:” He claimed it was not a campaign for the Gaza Strip, but for Jerusalem, and all free people of conscience in the world had to respond to it. He said Hamas appreciated everyone who had stepped up to support and all the activities around the world. However, they would like to see more demonstrations and they hoped the level of popular and institutional solidarity would not decrease.
- United States involvement: He claimed the Americans were part of the campaign, and the American government, “more than half of which was Zionist [sic]”, directly led the campaign. He added that a war against the United States in the Middle East was a war against Israel, and supported the Palestinians and the campaign in Gaza.
- Hezbollah’s role: He said there was no doubt that the events in Lebanon, under Hezbollah’s leadership, were “excellent and progressive,” and Hezbollah had already “sacrificed” over 60 lives. Hassan Nasrallah’s speech was intended to support the campaign, defend all its positions and respond to all the doubts which had been raised. He emphasized that they trusted “the brothers in Hezbollah” and hoped that they and the entire “axis of resistance”[2] would steadily increase their participation.
- Pro-Iranian militias: Yemen officially declared war and launched rockets and unmanned aerial vehicles to attack Israel. Unfortunately, the launches were intercepted by Arab countries and the Americans. He also noted the actions of the Iraqi “resistance” against the American bases in Syria and Iraq, and said that they encouraged further attacks against Israel from any Arab or Islamic region, as a sacred duty to support the war and al-Aqsa.
- Judea and Samaria: He claimed it was the arena that had the most influence on the course of the campaign, and Israel was aware of that and is therefore maintaining large forces there. The West Bank had to fight Israel at the level required and expected of it, despite all the deaths, victims and measures taken by Israel. He sent a message to the young people and said that in order for the mass killing in Gaza not to reach them [in the West Bank], they should help protect their brothers and their families in Gaza by leading the campaign against Israel. He called on the operatives of the security forces and all gun owners to attack Israel. He also sent a message to Fatah operatives calling on them to follow Arafat’s path and “resist” Israel until it had been eliminated from Palestinian land.
- Walid Kilani, Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, said the United States government had back-peddled on its position after Secretary of State Blinken said Israel would not be able to govern the Gaza Strip, the United States opposed the forced displacement of the Palestinians, and he hoped the war would end as soon as possible. According to Kilani, there was a new phase in the campaign, with the announcement of an “imminent ceasefire,” at least according to the Americans, the introduction of aid to Gaza, and the completion of [a prisoner] exchange deal, even if partial. He claimed that Hamas’ conditions for the continuation of the “imminent ceasefire” were not to attack the Islamic and Christian holy places, not to harm Palestinian prisoners, to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip, and to empty Israeli prisons of Palestinian prisoners (LBCI network website, November 9, 2023).
The Northern Arena
Lebanon
- During the past day, rocket fire at IDF outposts continued. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks, including an attack against an IDF infantry force in the Shomera base area; an assault against Shoshan outpost; and an attack against an infantry force near Dovev outpost (Hezbollah’s combat information Telegram channel, November 8, 2023).
- In response, Israeli fighter jets attacked Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure. Among the targets attacked were military buildings and positions and a number of technological means used to direct terrorism. A squad was also attacked in the Biranit area (IDF spokesman, November 8, 2023).

Attack on Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure (IDF spokesman’s website, November 8, 2023)
Hezbollah
- According to “local sources” in Syria, in light of the events in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah withdrew about 1,500 Hezbollah operatives from Syria and returned them to Lebanon. They reportedly left the Aleppo and Idlib regions, moved first to the Al-Qusayr area southwest of Homs and from there to Lebanon. The sources also reported that terrorist groups supported by Iran had deployed in areas left by Hezbollah operatives (Anadolu News, November 8, 2023).
- Reuters reported that Hezbollah had obtained, through sources in Syria, a Russian-made P-800 Oniks Yakhont cruise missile with a range of 300 km. According to the sources, the missile could pose a threat to all American vessels in the Mediterranean. It was noted that in addition to the P-800, Hezbollah also possessed other missiles (Reuters, November 8, 2023).
- Based on “knowledgeable” sources, Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper al-Akhbar reported that Amos Hochstein, the American envoy, had come to Lebanon to call on Lebanon not to intervene in the war, and to pressure Hezbollah, but his visit had nothing to do with this call. According to these sources, he arrived in Beirut as part of a special mission by the American administration related to issues in the Gaza Strip. The sources did not disclose what the mission was, but claimed that it was part of a broader move carried out by the United States with other countries (al-Akhbar, November 9, 2023).
Expressions of opposition in Lebanon to the country’s being dragged into war with Israel
- In a video posted on the X account of Raymond Hakim, an anti-Hezbollah publicist, young Lebanese were interviewed expressing opposition to the idea of Lebanon being dragged into war with Israel. The young people talk about the economic, social and political difficulties in the country, describe the desire to continue living a life without war, and claim that war will destroy Lebanon permanently (Raymond Hakim’s X account, November 8, 2023).

Young people express opposition to Lebanon being dragged into war (publicist Raymond Hakim’s X account, November 8, 2023)
Judea, Samaria, and the Palestinian Authority
Terrorist attacks
- On the evening of November 8, 2023, shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle near the Gitit junction between Samaria and the Jordan Valley. An Israeli civilian was critically wounded, his wife moderately wounded, and a five-month-old baby girl in the vehicle was not injured. According to the initial assessment, the terrorist ambushed the vehicle and fired a pistol at it. Bullet casings were found on the scene. IDF forces were called to the scene and are searching for the terrorist (Israeli media, November 9, 2023).

The vehicle damaged in the shooting attack (QudsN X Account, November 9, 2023)
- Hamas spokesman Muhammad Hamada claimed the attack reflected a determination to respond to Israel’s crimes and the participation of the “resistance” in the West Bank in the al-Aqsa Storm campaign. He said the attack was a message to Israel that the young revolutionaries and Palestinians could not stand idly by in the face of the war of annihilation Israel was waging against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the holy sites (Hurriya News, November 9, 2023).
Counterterrorism activities
- The Israeli security forces continued their extensive counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria. Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, more than 1,430 wanted Palestinians have been detained, more than 900 of them Hamas operatives (IDF Spokesman’s X account, November 9, 2023). The PA ministry of health in Ramallah reported 171 fatalities since the beginning of the war. During the past day, it was reported that 12 people were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces (ministry of health in Ramallah Telegram channel, November 9, 2023).
- On the night of November 9, 2023, Israeli security forces detained wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria. In an operation in the Jenin refugee camp, the forces located and destroyed dozens of IEDs. IDF aircraft attacked armed operatives who fired and threw IEDs at the forces (IDF Spokesman’s X account, November 9, 2023). The Palestinians reported nine fatalities during activity by the security forces in the Jenin refugee camp (ministry of health in Ramallah Telegram channel, November 9, 2023).

Some of the weapons found during the forces’ activity (IDF spokesman’s website, November 9, 2023)
Support for the Gaza Strip
- The Lion’s Den network, which since the beginning of the war has issued a number of statements in support of the Gaza Strip and calls for activity in Judea and Samaria to support the Gaza Strip and the resistance there, claimed responsibility for more than 14 shooting attacks in the Nablus area and its environs, including Mount Gerizim, Mount Ebal, Itamar and Elon Moreh (Lion’s Den Telegram channel, November 9, 2023).

A march in solidarity with the Gaza Strip in Ramallah attended by senior Fatah figure Sabri Sidam (QudsN X account, November 8, 2023)
Palestinian Authority
- Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, spoke by phone with the Dutch prime minister and the Australian prime minister about the war in the Gaza Strip and stressed that “there is no security or military solution to the issue.” He stressed the need to achieve a ceasefire and bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He said the Gaza Strip was an inseparable part of the West Bank and they would not accept Israel’s plans to separate the Gaza Strip (Wafa, November 8, 2023).
- PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh arrived in Paris to participate in the Paris summit aimed at promoting the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, scheduled for November 9, led by the French president. On the sidelines of the conference, Shtayyeh met with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and stressed the need to bring humanitarian aid into all areas of the Gaza Strip. Shtayyeh also stressed the importance of cooperation between UNRWA and the Red Crescent and all aid agencies operating in the Gaza Strip to ensure the transfer of aid to all areas in the Gaza Strip (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 8, 2023).

Shtayyeh meeting with Philippe Lazzarini (Facebook page of Mohammed Shtayyeh, November 8, 2023)
Iran
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reiterated his warning against continued Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. “Time for the continuation of Tel Aviv’s crimes is quickly running out,” he said. He added that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s only advantage was that he had undermined the foundations of the “Zionist regime” and clearly displayed its criminal, violent and aggressive face in the massacre of women and children in Gaza. “There is no doubt that the future belongs to Palestine” (Iranian foreign minister’s X account, November 9, 2023).
- IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, speaking at a conference in Gilan in northern Iran, said Iran was committed to supporting Gaza, which had become the graveyard of American and Israeli policy. He noted the United States, Israel and the countries supporting it had made a mistake when they thought they could become new powers in the region by killing the children of Gaza. Salami added that none of the pillars of the “Zionist regime” remained stable and that no one could remove the nightmare of death from the hearts of senior figures of the “Zionist regime” and the residents of the occupied lands (ISNA, November 9, 2023). Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC’s navy, said at the conference that the fallen soldiers of the “axis of resistance” and Palestine would soon see “the fruit of their blood, which would be the liberation of Jerusalem” (Fars, November 9, 2023).
- According to the al-Araby al-Jadeed website, Najib Mikati, the prime minister of the interim government in Lebanon, met with the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, and discussed with him the situation in the Gaza Strip and the military developments in south Lebanon. According to the report, Mikati told the Iranian ambassador that Lebanon wanted to distance itself from the conflict between Israel and Hamas and did not want to become another front because of the significant implications it would have. However, he noted that it was working through its connections with foreign elements to achieve a quick ceasefire and stop the Israeli attacks in south Lebanon (al-Araby al-Jadeed, November 8, 2023).
- About 730 billion riyals (about $1.5 million) have been donated by Iranian citizens since October 9, 2023, for humanitarian assistance to the residents of Gaza through a campaign launched by the Iranian Red Crescent. Wahid Salimi of the Iranian Red Crescent Society reported that in addition to these donations, which were deposited in the society’s bank accounts, humanitarian aid intended for the residents of the Gaza Strip was being sent from Iran to Egypt by air and sea (Tehran Times, November 8, 2023).
Activity of pro-Iranian militias
Iraq and Syria
- The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for attacking the American Harir base in Iraq with two drones and for carrying out two attacks at a base in al-Shadadi in the al-Hasaka area in Syria (the Islamic Resistance’s Telegram channel, November 9, 2023).
Syria
- According to American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on instructions from President Joe Biden, American Army forces carried out a “self-defense attack” against an IRGC facility in eastern Syria in response to a series of attacks carried out against American forces in Syria and Iraq (American Department of Defense website, November 9, 2023). Syrian opposition sources reported that people were killed and wounded in Deir ez-Zor as a result of the attack (Nahr Media, November 9, 2023). Al-Mayadeen reported clashes between American and SDF forces on the one hand, and Syrian army forces on the other, that began after the American activity in the Deir ez-Zor area. The American base of al-Omar was reportedly attacked with six rockets in response to the aggression (al-Mayadeen, November 9, 2023).
- According to a Syrian military source, at around 10:50 p.m., Israel carried out an airstrike from Lebanon against a number of military positions in southern Syria, causing material damage (SANA, November 8, 2023). It was later reported that the targets of the attack were an air defense battalion and radar in the area of Tal Kalib and Tal al-Masih in the As-Suwayda province (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, November 8, 2023).
Yemen[3]
- According to Yahya Saria, spokesman for the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, their air defense systems shot down an American MQ-9 drone circling Yemeni territorial waters that, according to him, carried out “hostile activity, monitoring and espionage as part of the American military support for the Israeli entity” (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, November 8, 2023).
- Shortly after his statement, it was reported that “official American sources” confirmed anonymously that the Houthis had shot down an American MQ-9 drone off the coast of Yemen (Reuters, November 9, 2023).
The Arab Arena
Egypt
- “Egyptian sources” reported that in a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and CIA Director William Burns and General Intelligence Director Abbas Kamel in Cairo, Burns suggested that after Hamas fell, Egypt would assume security responsibility for the Gaza Strip until the Palestinian Authority could take over. According to the sources, el-Sisi rejected the proposal, claiming that Egypt would not take part in toppling Hamas because the movement helped maintain security on the border (The Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2023).
Jordan
- Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General António Guterres about the need for an immediate ceasefire. They stressed that the international community had to exert pressure to ensure the regular supply of food, water, medicine and fuel to the Gaza Strip (Petra, November 98, 2023).
- Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh told journalists that one of the main points in the current crisis was the complete separation of the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and attempts to internationalize the Gaza Strip by sending Arab and international forces. He stressed that Jordan would not send any military force to the Gaza Strip and ruled out the possibility of any Arab country sending forces to the Gaza Strip as part of an international-Israeli project to manage the Gaza Strip the day after (al-Ghad, November 8, 2023).
- Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said during a meeting with journalists that Hamas was an idea, and the idea was not over, and whoever wanted a different situation had to meet the needs and rights of the Palestinian people and in a comprehensive peace. He stressed that Jordan was opposed to any discussion of the management of the Gaza Strip after the war by Arab or non-Arab forces and rejected any scenario dealing with the issue of the Gaza Strip alone. He also said any expulsion of Palestinians to Jordan would mean a declaration of war on Jordan, and they would fight it with all their might (Petra, November 8, 2023).
Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan strongly condemned “the crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli war machine against the Palestinians.” He took issue with the silence of the international community, which, he claimed, was not fulfilling its duty to stop the escalation and ensure the immediate entry of humanitarian aid (Saudi Arabian foreign ministry X account, November 7, 2023).
The International Arena
United Nations
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that while Hamas uses human shields, when you look at the number of civilians killed in military operations in the Gaza Strip, there was something clearly “wrong” (Reuters, November 8, 2023).
France
- On November 9, 2023, a summit meeting of the Humanitarian Aid Conference for Gaza convened in Paris in an emergency format with the aim of “advancing urgent humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, including the creation of a maritime aid corridor.” The conference was attended by representatives from 80 countries and organizations, including the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf States and Western countries. France announced the day before that Israel would not participate (Agence France-Presse, November 9, 2023). At the beginning of the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron said a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip had to be reached as soon as possible and the protection of civilians was not negotiable. He also said France would increase aid to the Palestinians from 20 million euros to 100 million euros (Reuters, November 9, 2023). UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said at the summit that he was concerned that the situation in Gaza would spill over to other places, noting that “the West Bank is boiling” (Reuters, November 9, 2023).
Russia
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone with Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee. Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire to prevent loss of life, and the expansion of humanitarian aid in the region alongside the evacuation of Russian civilians from the Gaza Strip (Russian foreign ministry Telegram channel, November 8, 2023).
[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications. ↑
[2] Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the Palestinian terrorist organizations, the Houthis in Yemen and the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. ↑
[3] For further details on Houthi activity against Israel since the beginning of the war, see the ITIC's Information Bulletin from November 3, 2023, "The Houthis and Operation Iron Swords", ↑