Direct proof of use
The F-15I Ra'am was used by Israel in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War. On November 3, 2023, The Times of Israel reported that Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar visited the 69th Squadron at Hatzerim Air Base, identified the squadron as flying F-15I fighter jets, and cited an IAF article saying Bar took off for an operational sortie with the squadron.
The same report said the 69th Squadron had been striking thousands of Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7. That source directly ties the F-15I-equipped unit to Gaza strike operations; it does not publicly identify the munitions, target list, sortie count, or battle-damage results for Bar's sortie or for individual Ra'am aircraft.
Sources: Times of Israel 69th Squadron Sortie
Timeline
On October 7, 2023, the IDF announced Operation Swords of Iron after Hamas rocket fire and cross-border infiltrations from Gaza, and reported that dozens of fighter jets struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Those official updates establish the opening fixed-wing strike context but do not identify F-15I aircraft by variant.
By October 12, 2023, The Aviationist reported that the Israeli Air Force was employing F-15, F-16, F-35, and AH-64 aircraft in the campaign and described the F-15 fleet as divided between the older Baz branch and the F-15I Ra'am branch. On November 3, The Times of Israel provided the conflict-specific F-15I link through the 69th Squadron sortie report.
Sources: IDF Real-Time Swords of Iron Updates, Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Hamas War, Times of Israel 69th Squadron Sortie
Operational role
The sourced role for the Ra'am in this conflict is Israeli fixed-wing strike. The Times of Israel report places the F-15I-equipped 69th Squadron in attacks on Hamas sites in Gaza, while IDF updates from the opening days describe fighter jets striking Hamas military compounds, operational command centers, and other targets in the Gaza Strip.
Open-source aircraft-loadout reporting gives useful context for Israel's wider F-15 strike package, but it is less specific than the 69th Squadron report. The Aviationist described a typical F-15 campaign configuration as three GBU-31(V)1 JDAM bombs and an Elta ELL-8222 ECM pod, while its photo-specific example concerned an F-15 Baz rather than a Ra'am. This record therefore treats the documented F-15I use as Gaza strike aircraft participation, not as proof of a specific Ra'am munition loadout.
Sources: Times of Israel 69th Squadron Sortie, IDF Real-Time Swords of Iron Updates, Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Hamas War
