The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) escalated their ground and aerial campaign in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, striking more than 45 terrorist targets and advancing in areas historically used as strongholds by Hamas. Ground units have intensified operations in Rafah’s Tel Sultan sector and along the strategic Morag Route—territory where Israeli forces had not previously operated—while support from the Israeli Air Force has been crucial in disrupting terrorist infrastructure and command networks.
According to official military communiqués, IDF troops from the 143rd Division have deepened their activities in southern Gaza’s Tel Sultan, a district in Rafah that intelligence indicates hosts extensive Hamas fortifications. Over the past day, these forces uncovered new tunnel shafts and destroyed underground infrastructure designed for transporting operatives, storing weapons, and enabling cross-border attacks. The IDF also reported targeted engagements with militants in the zone, resulting in a number of terrorists neutralized and weapons caches seized.
Simultaneously, the 36th Division pressed operations to the east, in sectors of Rafah and the Morag Route—regions where Hamas previously exercised uncontested control. Teams discovered and demolished multiple buildings repurposed for terrorist activity, as well as subterranean facilities used for logistics and surprise attacks. This marked advance aims to constrict the supply lines and command capability of Hamas, which continues to launch rockets and plot ambushes from heavily populated civilian areas.
In northern Gaza, the IDF’s 252nd Division conducted clearing operations in the Shejaiya area—a neighborhood long synonymous with militant entrenchment. Israeli forces eliminated several armed operatives and, in cooperation with air support, destroyed a cache of weaponry and other combat resources. The air force also delivered precision strikes on rocket launchers, ammunition depots, and command structures identified through real-time intelligence provided by IDF intelligence, Southern Command, and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet).
Among the airstrike targets in the past day were a weapons manufacturing plant, a rocket launch site with projectiles prepared for firing into Israel, military installations, and terrorist squads involved in current and future attacks. The IDF emphasized efforts to minimize civilian harm, noting the use of precision-guided munitions, advance warnings, and ongoing humanitarian corridors for noncombatants.
This latest round of operations comes amid sustained threats from Iranian-backed groups throughout the region—a reality that has shaped Israeli military doctrine since the October 7, 2023 massacre. On that day, Hamas-led terrorists launched the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, killing more than 1,200 civilians and soldiers, abducing over 240 people, and unleashing a war orchestrated alongside Iran’s proxy network spanning Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
In the months since, Israel’s campaign has focused on both the immediate tactical challenge—destroying terrorist infrastructure in Gaza—and the broader strategic goal of dismantling the Iranian-backed axis threatening Israel’s existence. IDF officials stress that every urban battle and tunnel demolition in Gaza weakens the terror alliance mobilized by Iran, while ongoing rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon and sporadic shelling from Syria expose the campaign’s regional dimension.
Alongside direct military confrontations, the fate of more than 100 Israeli hostages remains a central concern. Israel faces mounting international calls for a negotiated release, but the government reiterates its refusal to equate innocent civilians held captive and abused with convicted terrorists that Hamas demands in exchange. Israeli officials argue such demands perpetuate a cycle of violence and undermine justice.
Despite diplomatic pressure and media scrutiny, Israel maintains that its operations comply with international law and prioritize the safety of civilians—contrasting sharply with Hamas’s record of using Gaza’s residents as human shields and embedding military assets in schools, clinics, and densely populated neighborhoods. Humanitarian aid enters through coordinated corridors even as Israeli forces contend with improvised explosive devices, booby-trapped tunnels, and militants disguised as civilians.
The ongoing military campaign—named Operation Iron Swords—has introduced new intelligence and technological advancements since October 7. Real-time aerial reconnaissance, AI-assisted target identification, and counter-tunnel engineering have improved operational accuracy and minimized risks to Israeli troops. Lessons from the initial Hamas attack have led to a comprehensive review and significant adaptation of Israeli defense strategies, with emphasis on regional intelligence-sharing and coalition-building with Western and Gulf partners.
In summary, the IDF’s expanded ground and air operations across Gaza illustrate Israel’s commitment to dismantling all elements of Hamas’s terror machine and responding proactively to Iranian-orchestrated threats throughout the Middle East. The campaign will persist, military sources say, until all hostages are recovered, Hamas’s operational capacities are neutralized, and Israel’s communities are no longer threatened by cross-border terror attacks.
Israel’s leadership continues to underscore the existential stakes at play. In their view, the war in Gaza is driven not by conquest but by an urgent need to defend the nation against a genocidal terror network rooted in Tehran’s doctrine and executed by its local proxies. Each tunnel discovered, terrorist cell neutralized, and hostage negotiated defines the trajectory of a conflict whose implications extend far beyond the borders of Gaza.
