The Israeli military said on Saturday its forces were preparing a “wide range of operational offensive plans” to attack Hamas in Gaza.
The military offensive will include “combined and coordinated strikes from the air, sea and land,” Israel Defense Forces said.
“IDF battalions and soldiers are deployed across the country and are increasing operational readiness for the next stages of the war, with an emphasis on significant ground operations,” the military said.
Israel has called up some 360,000 troops and amassed forces on the border with Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground assault to annihilate Hamas’ capabilities.
The terror group launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, rampaging through communities in southern Israel and killing as many as 1,300 Israelis in the worst attack in the country’s history.
Israel had given the entire 1.1 million population of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, which includes the enclave’s biggest settlement, Gaza City, until Saturday morning to move south.
Since the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, hundreds of civilians, including babies, the elderly, and soldiers have been killed, wounded or captured. Israel retaliated against Hamas by firing missiles into Gaza.
Below are the most recent numbers related to the war. Fox News Digital will continue to inform on fatalities, hostages, death toll and more as they are reported and confirmed by officials.
8 days of war as of Saturday, October 14
At least 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed
29 Americans are reported dead
At least 3,000 Israelis have been injured
At least 8,700 Palestinians have been wounded
At least 2,215 Palestinians and Hamas terrorists have been killed
At least 150 soldiers and civilians are being held hostage in Gaza
At least 5,000 rockets have been fired by Hamas terrorists
At least 1,500 Hamas terrorists have been found dead
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted photos Saturday of his recent visit with troops on the front line in the Gaza Strip.
“With our fighters in the Gaza Strip, on the front line,” Netanyahu posted on X. “We are all ready.”
In a video shared in the post, Netanyahu asks troops, “Are you ready for the next stage?”
“The next stage is coming,” he says, without stating what the next stage of Israel’s conflict with Hamas is.
Israel has called up some 360,000 troops and amassed forces on the border with Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground assault to annihilate Hamas’ capabilities. The terror group launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, rampaging through communities in southern Israel and killing as many as 1,300 Israelis in the worst attack in the country’s history.
Israel had given the entire 1.1 million population of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, which includes the enclave’s biggest settlement Gaza City, until Saturday morning to move south.
As that deadline approached it said it would guarantee the safety of Palestinians fleeing on two main roads until 4:00 pm local time. That deadline expired with no immediate announcement from either side of any change in the situation.
Overnight, the Israeli Air Force says it killed a senior commander in Hamas’ commando forces, one who planned the terror attacks that massacred 1,300 Israelis on Oct. 7.
The IAF said a drone strike killed Ali Qadhi, a company commander in the Najaba force of Hamas, after obtaining intelligence from the Shin Bet security agency.
According to the Israeli military, Qadhi was arrested by Israel in 2005 for the kidnapping and murder of Israeli citizens and had been released to the Gaza Strip as part of a prisoner swap in 2011.
“Ali Qadi led the inhumane, barbaric October 7 massacre of civilians in Israel,” Israel Defense Forces said. “We just eliminated him. All Hamas terrorists will meet the same fate.”
The military also said it killed Abu Merad, who was the head of Hamas’ air forces.
The Palestinian health ministry reports that 2,125 Palestinians have been killed and another 8,714 were wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since war broke out on Oct. 7.
The Israeli military has said the bodies of about 1,500 Hamas terrorists were found in Israeli territory after Hamas launched its surprise terror attack on Israel, killing as many as 1,300 Israelis.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Envelope today. He toured Kibbutz Be'eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and saw ruins of houses where the horrific massacre occurred. pic.twitter.com/Ab8iosTwBe
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 14, 2023
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