Direct proof of use
The F-15 Baz was used by Israel in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. The Aviationist's October 12, 2023 survey of Israeli Air Force aircraft in Operation Swords of Iron identified an F-15 Baz taking off with three GBU-31(V)1 JDAM bombs for a strike mission and said Israeli F-15s, F-16s, F-35s, and AH-64 helicopters were being used to strike targets inside the Gaza Strip.
The same report described the Baz fleet as the Israeli F-15A/B/C/D branch and noted that the upgraded Baz 2000 configuration gave the aircraft air-to-ground ordnance capability. For the Gaza campaign, it described a typical F-15 configuration as three GBU-31(V)1 JDAM bombs on the centerline and wing stations plus an Elta ELL-8222 ECM pod.
Sources: Aviationist F-15 Baz JDAM Loadout
Timeline
On October 7, 2023, the IDF said it launched Operation Swords of Iron after Hamas rocket fire and infiltrations from Gaza, and reported that IDF fighter jets were striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip the same day. Those official updates establish the opening air-campaign context, but do not identify individual F-15 Baz sorties.
By October 10-12, open-source imagery and reporting had identified Baz aircraft in strike configurations. The Aviationist published the conflict-specific Baz loadout evidence on October 12, while later IDF updates continued to describe large-scale fighter-jet strikes in Gaza, including an October 29 report of more than 450 military targets struck over the previous day.
Sources: IDF Real-Time Swords of Iron Updates, Aviationist F-15 Baz JDAM Loadout, IDF 450 Targets Update
Operational role
The sourced record places the Baz in Israel's fixed-wing strike package during the war's opening Gaza air campaign. Its documented role was air-to-ground attack, with the public loadout evidence centered on 2,000-pound-class GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs and self-protection electronic warfare support from the ELL-8222 pod.
IDF campaign updates describe fighter jets striking Hamas military compounds, operational command centers, observation posts, anti-tank missile launch posts, tunnels, weapons-storage sites, and other Gaza targets. The sources used here support Baz participation in strike missions and broader IAF fighter-jet strike context; they do not publicly assign specific struck targets, casualty figures, or battle-damage results to individual Baz sorties.
Sources: Aviationist F-15 Baz JDAM Loadout, IDF Real-Time Swords of Iron Updates, IDF 450 Targets Update
