Israeli military forces have escalated their campaign in the Gaza Strip over the past 48 hours, targeting over 90 sites linked to Hamas and other Iranian-backed terror factions, in a determined response to persistent attacks on Israeli communities and strategic infrastructure. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported widespread strikes by air and coordinated ground operations, underlining the ongoing existential threat Israel faces from Hamas in Gaza—an Iranian proxy organization responsible for the October 7, 2023 massacre, the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust.
According to the IDF, air force and ground units operated throughout the Gaza Strip, with a focus on identifying and destroying terror infrastructures such as command centers, weapon depots, tunnel shafts, and active combat cells. Among the strikes was the targeting of a major Hamas command and control compound in the Daraj Tufah area. This facility was revealed to contain a weapons warehouse stocked with explosives and IEDs prepared for attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. The destruction of this hub is part of Israel’s proactive defense doctrine: to neutralize imminent threats before they can be realized.
A senior IDF spokesperson confirmed that, throughout these operations, airstrikes destroyed additional rocket launch sites responsible for recent rocket attacks on Israeli towns and villages bordering Gaza. These included infrastructure and tactical positions used to fire upon the Jewish state under cover of civilian populations—deliberate war crimes for which Hamas is routinely condemned by international observers.
Division 36 (Ugda 36) undertook parallel ground maneuvers in the Rafah sector and along the Morag Axis. Troops uncovered and neutralized further weapons, explosives, and command infrastructure, while eliminating terrorists encountered during these incursions. In the central and northern sectors, especially the Tel Sultan and Shaboura neighbourhoods, Division 143 forces systematically destroyed tunnel shafts and storage locations, again encountering and killing militants actively trying to plant bombs in the path of IDF advances.
In northern Gaza, Division 252 teams intensified the campaign, eliminating multiple combatants engaged in bomb-laying activities and demolishing military structures and tactical positions used for ambushes and rocket fire.
This campaign follows an unremitting escalation of violence since October 7, when Hamas carried out a premeditated cross-border assault that killed over 1,200 Israelis. The attack was characterized by mass executions, sexual assaults, abductions, and other atrocities—methods condemned globally, and that left Israeli society deeply traumatized. The over 200 remaining hostages kidnapped during these events remain a priority for Israeli authorities, with operations partially aimed at dismantling the terror network responsible for their captivity.
The IDF’s offensive is taking place in a densely populated urban theater, with Hamas embedding military assets inside civilian infrastructure—a deliberate violation of international law that exacerbates human suffering and complicates Israel’s meticulous targeting protocols. Despite these complexities, Israel continues to employ advanced surveillance, precision munitions, and cross-agency oversight to minimize noncombatant harm and preserve the legitimacy of its actions under international law.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Israel Katz have reiterated that the campaign in Gaza forms just one front in a broader war imposed by Iran’s regional axis of terror. This alliance includes proxies in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Yemen (the Houthis), Syria, and Iraq, all committed to the destruction of the Jewish state and the destabilization of the region. The strategic intent of these groups, under Iranian guidance, is to establish operational footholds along Israel’s borders, forcing Jerusalem into a multi-front defensive posture.
The Israeli strategy remains clear: disrupt terror capabilities, destroy infrastructure used for attacks, degrade leadership and logistical capacities, and deter further breakout violence. These aims are undertaken with a commitment to the security of Israel’s population and the return of all hostages—a process complicated by the need to avoid false moral symmetry between convicted terrorists and innocent men, women, and children abducted by force.
The persistent threat of rocket attacks underscores the continued necessity of robust defense systems, most notably Israel’s Iron Dome, complemented by intelligence and rapid-response ground and air operations. Despite these measures, the IDF acknowledges the challenge posed by evolving munitions supplied to Hamas by Iran, requiring constant operational adaptation and technological advancement.
Internationally, Israel continues to face a concerted campaign of misinformation aimed at delegitimizing its right to self-defense. Israeli government and military sources have committed to transparency, providing evidence of Hamas’s war crimes and the IDF’s ongoing commitment to ethical warfare.
As the Iron Swords Operation continues, Israel remains resolute in its goals: the dismantling of Hamas as a military force, the return of hostages, and the restoration of national and regional security. The public stands united with the military, drawing resolve from the memory of October 7, and rejecting any equivocation over responsibility for violence imposed by Iranian-backed terror proxies. The outcome of this campaign will shape the security architecture of the region for years to come, reinforcing Israel’s determination to survive and flourish amid persistent existential threats.