The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has conducted training exercises to increase readiness on the northern border.
"In the last week, the Northern Command conducted intensive training to enhance readiness for combat on the northern border. As part of recent training programs for reservist battalions on the northern front, soldiers of the Northern Paratroopers Brigade (226) and Combat Engineering forces performed training exercises. The exercises prepared troops for combat in densely populated urban areas, winter weather conditions, and in the northern terrain," the IDF said on Telegram.
It said the training combined tanks, combat engineering, infantry and artillery forces.
On October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip-controlling Hamas movement launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. About 26,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza, local authorities said.
On November 24, 2023, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1, 2023. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.