TEL AVIV — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security agency have advanced their campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, eliminating the head sniper commander of the terror group’s Tel Sultan Battalion and destroying key terror infrastructure through a series of high-intensity operations in recent days.
According to official military spokespersons, Ahmad Iyad Muhammad Farhat—responsible for orchestrating and executing sniper and additional terror attacks—was identified and killed in Tel Sultan, a tightly contested area of Rafah. His removal follows enhanced Israeli intelligence and targeted precision strikes aimed at dismantling Hamas’s tactical leadership and operational effectiveness in the face of ongoing threats to Israeli defense forces and civilians.
Ongoing Operations in Rafah and Northern Gaza
The IDF’s Gaza Division continues to lead ground assaults in Rafah’s Tel Sultan and Shaboura neighborhoods, systematically eliminating terrorists, destroying weapons caches, and neutralizing rigged structures. Over the last 24 hours alone, IDF units have reportedly killed several gunmen and uncovered significant terror infrastructure both in urban settings and underground tunnel complexes.
Simultaneously, IDF Division 36 expanded operations along the strategic Morag route—a corridor frequently used by Hamas for movement of operatives and weapons—intensifying efforts to disrupt supply chains and smuggling activities. Israeli soldiers reported eliminating additional terrorists and destroying arms depots above and below ground, further weakening Hamas’s operational freedom in the area.
In the north, IDF Division 252 identified and struck multiple terror targets, demolishing tunnel shafts, weapons storage sites, and command posts. Soldiers recently encountered armed militants in fortified buildings, neutralizing them with tank fire and seizing actionable intelligence in the process. Military officials report renewed vigilance in these regions, mindful of Hamas’s repeated attempts to regroup and deploy asymmetric tactics against advancing forces.
The Tunnel Threat and Military Challenges
A signature challenge faced by the IDF throughout the conflict is Hamas’s vast tunnel network, which allows gunmen and commanders to evade detection, launch attacks, and move arms and operatives beneath residential neighborhoods. Israeli forces have employed advanced methods, including ground-penetrating radar and tunnel detection units, to systematically uncover and destroy these underground routes, directly targeting the logistical backbone of Hamas’s campaign.
Senior IDF commanders stress the moral and strategic complexity of fighting a terrorist organization embedded in civilian urban zones—a deliberate Hamas tactic that both hinders military operations and increases risk to Gaza’s residents. The IDF has persisted in issuing warnings and using precision-guided munitions wherever feasible to minimize civilian harm, even as militants continue to exploit homes, schools, and clinics for attacks and weapons storage.
Coordinated Intelligence and Increasing Operational Tempo
The operations that led to the killing of Farhat and other senior Hamas operatives were enabled by intensified collaboration between IDF ground forces and the Shin Bet. Intelligence gathered from aerial surveillance, cyber operations, and field assets provided actionable insights, resulting in effective targeting and ongoing disruption of Hamas activities. The IDF reports that analysis of materials seized during recent operations promises further advances against terror operatives hiding in Gaza.
A War Waged on Multiple Fronts
The current combat in Gaza must be understood as one theater in a broader regional war. Israel faces coordinated aggression not only from Hamas but from Iran-backed proxies in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Yemen (Houthis), Syria, and Iraq. Israel’s security establishment views Gaza operations as integral to the campaign against the so-called “Axis of Resistance” orchestrated by the Iranian regime. Ongoing attacks across the region underscore the country’s need for vigilance and preparedness on all fronts.
The October 7 Massacre and the Hostage Crisis
This latest phase of the conflict began with the October 7 assault, the deadliest terrorist attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas terrorists, alongside local Gaza residents, killed more than 1,200 Israelis and abducted over 240 civilians and soldiers—men, women, children, and elderly—subjecting many to torture and inhumane treatment. The recovery of hostages remains an urgent national priority, with the government and IDF facing intense domestic and international scrutiny over efforts to secure their release.
Israel has repeatedly emphasized the false equivalence drawn by international actors between innocent hostages and incarcerated terrorists, rejecting any paradigm that would endanger Israeli civilians by facilitating the release of convicted perpetrators of violence. The government continues to rely on combined military, intelligence, and diplomatic pressure to pursue the release of those still held in Gaza.
Humanitarian Measures Amid Continuing Conflict
Despite the high-intensity combat, Israeli authorities report ongoing efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid—including food, water, and medicine—into Gaza through protected corridors, in coordination with international agencies where possible. The state has accused Hamas of routinely looting supplies, manipulating relief operations, and using civilians as shields, thus exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Official statements stress that ultimate responsibility for the suffering of Gaza’s population rests with Hamas and its Iranian backers, both for their attacks on Israel and their willingness to use residents as pawns in an ongoing campaign of violence. The military points to increasing evidence of complicity by segments of the local population in supporting and sheltering terror operatives, emphasizing that Israel’s objective remains the defeat of organized terror, not collective punishment.
International Response and Prospects
Support for Israel’s campaign continues among core allies, particularly the United States and European partners, who acknowledge the country’s right and obligation to protect its citizens and borders. At the same time, demands for humanitarian pauses and ceasefires have persisted; Israeli leaders maintain that any cessation of hostilities must be conditional on the unconditional release of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas’s armed capacity.
Going forward, defense officials underscore that the broad objective remains the same: to ensure Israeli security, dismantle the terror apparatus directed by Hamas and Iran, and make clear that the nation will not tolerate attacks on its citizens. As IDF and intelligence chiefs emphasize, military, political, and moral clarity must guide Israel’s response to those who seek its destruction.
