Jack Sullivan

Oct 26, 2023 | fdd.org | Jack Sullivan

Israeli officials are pushing back against calls to admit fuel into the Gaza Strip, noting the Hamas stockpiles that should be going to Palestinian civilians. With the Gaza war now in its third week, Israel has faced pressure to end its embargo on fuel imports from relief agencies, which say their operations in the territory cannot be sustained otherwise.

Oct 26, 2023 | fdd.org | Jack Sullivan

U.S. intelligence officials said on October 24 they have determined with “high confidence” that Israel was not responsible for the October 17 attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. More than a week after the blast, likely caused by an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket, allegations of Israeli culpability continue to circulate.

Oct 26, 2023 | fdd.org | Jack Sullivan

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched its first major ground operation in the Gaza Strip on October 26. The IDF used tanks in an overnight raid that included dismantling terrorist infrastructure and striking anti-tank missile launch posts. Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza after the incursion. This is the first time Israel has publicly revealed its ground operations in Gaza, and it comes prior to an expected larger ground assault against Hamas and other terrorist groups in the coastal territory.

Oct 26, 2023 | fdd.org | Jack Sullivan |Enia Krivine

Israel massively misjudged Hamas, resulting in the brutal murder of over 1,400 Israelis. But Hamas also gravely miscalculated. It underestimated Western outrage at the atrocities committed by the Iran-backed terror group, as well as Israel’s capacity for disciplined restraint, striking back at a time of its choosing rather than rushing into Gaza half-cocked. On Oct. 7, Hamas instructed over 1,500 terrorists to penetrate Israeli communities and commit massacres.

Oct 26, 2023 | fdd.org | Jack Sullivan

Hundreds of Hamas terrorists received specialized combat training in Iran before attacking Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported on October 25. Intelligence sources said that officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force trained approximately 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists from the Gaza Strip. According to the report, senior Palestinian officials and Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani attended the training. On October 23, Maj. Gen.