Comments by "Richard Marsden" (@richardmarsden5610) on "Israel-Hamas war: Civilian deaths 'truly tragic' but Hamas 'needs to be taken out', says IDF" video.

  1. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged on November 1 that nine soldiers were killed during recent clashes with the Hamas Movement in the Gaza Strip, which raises the number of troops lost since the start of ground operations in the Palestinian enclave last week to 11. Seven of the casualties were from the 84th “Givati” Brigade. They were killed after a Namer armored personnel carrier they were in was destroyed by an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) fired by Hamas fighters. Another four soldiers were wounded in the same attack, including one seriously. The other two casualties were from the 77th “Oz” Armor Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade. They were killed after their main battle tank drove over an explosive device. Another two soldiers were seriously wounded in the same attack. It’s worth noting that this battalion only operates advanced Merkava Mark 4M tanks. The IDF began ground operations on October 27, advancing along al-Rasheed Street on the coast of Gaza, near the city of Beit Lahia in the northeastern part of the Strip and in Wadi Gaza, right to the south of Gaza City. On October 31 it announced its first two casualties. After announcing its recent losses, the IDF said ground operations in the Gaza Strip continued overnight, with troops striking dozens of Hamas targets. The recent losses of the IDF brought the number of Israelis killed since the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack to 1,427. More than 5,431 were wounded and at least 245 others remain hostages in the hands of Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza. Despite taking heavy human and material losses, Israel appears to be preparing to further develop its ground offensive in Gaza. Heavy bombardment continued on November 1 and the Palestine Telecommunications Company, Paltel, reported “a complete interruption of all communications and internet services” in the Strip. The IDF usually disturbs communications before advance attempts.
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  2. The Houthis (Ansar Allah) released on November 1 video footage showing the launch of Zulfiqar ballistic missiles, Quds cruise missiles and Samad-3 suicide drones from Yemen at targets in Israel in support of the Gaza Strip. The Iran-allied group launched the large-scale strike a day earlier and claimed responsibility for two previous attacks on October 19 and 27. Some of the projectiles launched by the group were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems and fighter jets, while at least one cruise missile was reported to have landed in the Jordanian desert. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said there was no risk to Israeli civilians amid the attacks, as the missiles and drones were intercepted over the Red Sea. The range of Zulfiqar ballistic missiles, Quds cruise missiles and Samad-3 suicide drones is known to be around 2,000 kilometers, more than enough to reach targets in Israel from Yemeni territory. Very little is known about these systems, which were reportedly supplied by Iran or developed with help from it. The Houthis control much of Yemen, including a long strip of the Red Sea coast and the capital Sanaa, and maintain a large arsenal of missiles and drones. The group’s attacks were not a surprise. Houthi officials threatened to attack Israel on several occasions following the October 7 Palestinian surprise attack which provoked an unprecedented Israeli attack on Gaza.
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