Israel Continues Operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and West Bank

On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the 1096th day of the "War of Revival" (also known as "Swords of Iron" War) saw continued Israeli military operations across multiple fronts. In the West Bank, the IDF conducted operations in Palestinian towns, detaining suspects and arresting Nihad an-Na'uru, the Fatah secretary in Salfit. Overnight, IDF forces were active in various locations including Qalqilya, Balata near Nablus, Kafr Qaddum, Bani Naim near Hebron, Sayda al-Golan in Syria's Quneitra province, and areas near Ramallah and Hebron. In Gaza, a ceasefire is formally in effect, though the IDF maintains control over a buffer zone covering over 60% of the strip. The IDF stated it attacks terrorists in response to violations and conducts targeted assassinations.

The "Swords of Iron" War began on October 7, 2023, with a Hamas-led attack from Gaza, followed by Hezbollah's involvement from Lebanon. The conflict has resulted in significant casualties on both sides. The article details the release of 168 surviving hostages by October 2025, with the remains of the last abducted person returned in January 2026. Over 80 hostages died in captivity. The initial attack on October 7, 2023, targeted a music festival and several Israeli communities, leading to over a thousand civilian deaths and hundreds of military and police casualties.

Since the war's inception, the IDF reports eliminating or capturing approximately 20,000 militants in Gaza and 10,000 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Key terrorist leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, and Yahya Sinwar, were reportedly eliminated in 2024. The conflict has also involved extensive rocket and drone fire from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen, with over 13,000 rockets launched from Gaza and 15,000 from Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis were displaced from their homes.

In the West Bank, approximately 7,000 terror suspects have been detained since October 7, 2023, with about a third linked to Hamas. The IDF has conducted thousands of strikes on targets in Gaza and thousands more on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon, as well as targets in Syria. Gaza's Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas, reported over 73,000 deaths and 174,000 wounded, though a report by the Henry Jackson Society and Fifty Global questioned the accuracy of these figures, suggesting Hamas inflated casualty numbers. The UN estimates 1.7 million Gazans were displaced, with 1.3 million living in shelters in the southern Gaza Strip.

Humanitarian aid has been supplied to Gaza since October 21, 2023, with Hamas reportedly intercepting a significant portion. The conflict has also seen Israeli actions against Houthi targets in Yemen and strikes on Iranian military sites, including a joint operation with the US against Iran in February 2026 that reportedly eliminated top Iranian leadership. Ceasefires have been declared and subsequently broken, with ongoing diplomatic efforts and a high probability of renewed conflict in Iran. The IDF continues its operations in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.