The Israeli army conducted a ground mission in the Gaza Strip on the night of October 25 to 26, 2023. Israeli military authorities speak of a “ targeted raid as part of its preparations for the next stages of the fight “. The Israeli army published a video relating to this operation (and also discussing the latest Israeli raids against buildings in the Gaza Strip). RFI’s Info Verif unit analyzed and geolocated these images.
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This is not yet the ground offensive that the Israeli authorities have been talking about for several weeks. The images published on the account of the Israeli army (IDF), show two “platoons” composed of a few heavy Merkava IV tanks (Main battle tank or MBT), as well as armored personnel carriers (Armored personnel carrier or APC) . At the front, we notice bulldozers, probably Caterpillar D9s, which are opening the road. About ten vehicles are visible.
In preparation for the next stages of combat, the IDF operated in northern Gaza.
IDF tanks & infantry struck numerous terrorist cells, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts.
The soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory. pic.twitter.com/oMdSDR84rU
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
The D9s are tracked vehicles used to clear the terrain for the benefit of other units. They participate in opening routes, destroying obstacles, or explosive devices buried in the ground. The military calls this “breaching.” These very heavy machines (60 tonnes) are now equipped with “cage armor” intended to protect the driver against anti-tank rocket (RPG) attacks.
A first step towards the offensive?
In the past, military versions of this famous construction machine have already been used by the Israeli army in Gaza (during the second intifada and during the Israeli operation of 2008) as well as in South Lebanon (in 2006). Their presence is important, because the entry into the running of these military engineering devices could, indeed, announce the launch of new land operations.
Some armored vehicles and tanks appear to be equipped with protection on the roof, intended to protect the crew from grenades thrown vertically by Hamas drones. This being said, the D9 is also one of the symbols of the Israeli occupation, accused by international NGOs, including the Israeli committee against house demolitions (Icahd), of being used to destroy the homes of Palestinian civilians.
Just on the other side of the fence
On the video, in black and white, probably shot at night, we can see the armored vehicles crossing the fence with the Gaza Strip and skirting the Palestinian territory before entering it. After analysis of the videos and cross-checking, we have geolocated the entry point of the armored column in Gaza.
This location allows us to conclude that the column of the Israeli army entered from the north of the Gaza Strip, only 5,300 meters from the Erez crossing point, and 1,300 meters from the Israeli base, Bahad 4, where Israeli army cadets are trained.
This base nicknamed “Batar Zikim” is located in the area targeted by Hamas on October 7, in the immediate vicinity of the Gaza Strip. At this stage, however, we have not been able to establish that the armored vehicles that entered Gaza on the night of October 25 or 26 had left from this Israeli military establishment. On the other hand, what is certain is that the Israeli tanks opened fire as soon as they arrived in the Palestinian territory. The images provided by the Israeli army attest to this. Shots are clearly visible but we do not know what the Israeli crews fired at.
Misleading editing
The Israeli army’s video montage is questionable. It could suggest that the tank fire is responsible for the destruction of buildings also shown in the video (at 0 min 33 s). In fact, the destruction filmed is more attributable to aerial bombardments. To summarize, the sequence of destruction in the city is “framed” by images of tanks entering and leaving the Gaza Strip.
How long did they stay? How far have they gone? The Israeli army does not specify this. Finally, if we focus only on the images of the land resources involved, we never see the armored vehicles going more than a few hundred meters into Palestinian territory. They are seen operating in the very characteristic agricultural area of the northern Gaza Strip, made up of fields extending all the way to the beach. We also see a few clumps of trees which could conceal Palestinian firing points near Israeli territory, but at no time do we see Israeli tanks advancing in urban areas, where their mission could prove much more perilous. According to the Israeli army, during their nighttime incursion, the soldiers “ located and struck numerous terrorists, their infrastructure and anti-tank rocket launch positions “. An unverifiable statement with the images currently available online.