Israel at War: What happened on Day 62?

Israel's Knesset rallied in support of Minister Gadi Eisenkot from National Unity after his son Gal was killed in action in Gaza on Thursday.

National Unity leader Minister Benny Gantz sent his condolences to Eisenkot and his family, saying that everyone was committed to continue fighting for the cause for which Gal had died.

The IDF published the name of two soldiers who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Their families have been informed of their deaths.

Major (res.) Kobi Dvash, 41 years old, from Tiberias, a fighter in the 271st Engineering Battalion, fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip.

Major (res.) Eyal Meir Berkowitz, 28 years old, from Jerusalem, a fighter in the 699th Battalion, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

National Security Minister Itamir Ben-Gvir instructed X to utilize an underground prison wing, which has been out of use for an extended period of time, to house Nukhba prisoners in. Nukhba is considered to be an elite naval force of the  Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the Hamas terrorist organization.

Ben-Gvir insisted that Commissioner of Prison Services Katy Perry imprison the terrorists detained in the underground wing where the conditions of the prisoners would be minimal.

Earlier this week, the Director General of the Ministry of National Security, Dr. Elazar Ben Hash, and Attorney Hanmal Dorfman, visited the prison in question together with members of the police and inspected the wing to decide if the accommodations would appropriately house the terrorists.

The conditions of the prison

Ben-Gvir later wrote to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, and admitted "it is true that this is an underground wing, the conditions in which are not among the best, but the conditions of incarceration there comply with the provisions of the law and the relevant regulations, and it has housed prisoners in the past.

ITAMAR BEN-GVIR is a liability for Israel and a gift for international entities hell-bent on Israel’s destruction, the writer argues. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

"Given this, I would ask you to act for the use of the wing… for the benefit of the imprisonment of the Nukhba detainees or other mass-murdering terrorists who are a symbol of Hamas and its supporters."

Two missiles were launched from Syria into northern Israel on Thursday evening, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. They fell in an open area and the IDF responded by striking the source of the launch. 

Reuters yesterday released a detailed report slamming the IDF’s defense of its mistaken attack on a group of journalists in Lebanon on October 13, including a Reuters journalist, as invalid.

According to the report, an IDF tank crew killed a Reuters journalist and wounded six reporters by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the journalists were filming cross-border shelling.

The ground troops subsequently directed a UAV strike on the position of the Hamas terrorists, successfully eliminating the squad.

On the body of another terrorist from the Hamas squad eliminated by the IDF, the camera with the footage of the terrorist operating with the RPGs and Kalashnikovs was located.

The camera footage appears to show the Hamas members fighting out of a civilian structure.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah not to initiate a third Lebanon war with Israel, hours after the Iranian proxy group guided missile attack killed a 60-year-old Israeli man in northern Israel.

“If Hezbollah chooses to start an all-out war, then it will single-handedly turn Beirut and South Lebanon, not far from here, into Gaza and Khan Yunis. We are determined to bring victory, and we will do it with your help,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli air force targeted more Hezbollah infrastructure, the IDF said on Thursday evening.

In addition to targeting infrastructure, the IAF fighter jets hit Hezbollah’s operational command in southern Lebanon in response to the launches fired by the terror organization at Israeli territory on Thursday.

Initially, after the IDF identified launches from Lebanon, it responded by targeting the source of the launches with artillery fire.

Warrant Officer (res.) Jonathan David Deitch, 34, fell in combat in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Thursday.

Deitch was from Harish and served in the 6623 Reconnaissance Battalion.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday, a senior State Department official said, and conveyed that Israel needs to do more to protect civilians in its offensive in southern Gaza.

Blinken also urged Dermer to let Israel allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza while welcoming its decision to let more fuel into the densely populated enclave.