In coordinated operations over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force (IAF), guided by intelligence from the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, Southern Command, and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), carried out precision airstrikes against approximately 35 targets belonging to terror organizations in the Gaza Strip. The latest wave of strikes, part of Israel’s ongoing campaign of self-defense, sharply focused on sites critical to the operational capability of Hamas and its fellow Iranian-backed factions operating in the coastal enclave.
Among the targets destroyed was a central weapons manufacturing facility in central Gaza, identified by Israeli defense officials as a major supplier of arms to terrorist operatives in the region. Intelligence reports indicate that the site produced mortars, improvised rockets, and explosives distributed across various cells, bolstering attacks against Israeli territory. Another major objective neutralized in the operation was a rocket launch site containing multiple launchers and ready-to-fire rockets directed at civilian areas in southern and central Israel. The elimination of this launch site, the military said, reduces the immediate threat to population centers including Sderot, Ashkelon, and Ashdod.
This mission is part of a broader Israeli military strategy formed in response to the October 7, 2023 massacre—the most severe antisemitic attack since the Holocaust—when Hamas terrorists breached the border, slaughtering over 1,200 people, and abducted more than 250 civilians. Evidence collected in the aftermath revealed systematic acts of terror: mass executions, mutilations, sexual violence, and the use of civilians and children as human shields. The majority of the hostages remain in captivity within Gaza, with their plight at the center of ongoing international diplomatic efforts.
The IDF’s current campaign, known as the Iron Swords War, seeks to degrade the military infrastructure and operational command of terror organizations embedded in civilian areas. According to Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, Chief of the General Staff, Israel’s defensive actions are based on thorough intelligence work and are planned to maximize operational success while minimizing risk to uninvolved residents. This difficult balance is necessary because terrorist groups, primarily Hamas, systematically use Gaza’s civilian infrastructure—homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques—as shields for weapons, command posts, and tunnels.
Israel’s air campaign is coordinated with a blockade and border security operations to intercept weapons and dual-use materials illicitly moved through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Gaza. Despite these measures, Iranian-backed funding and expertise continue to reach Gaza’s terror networks, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) playing a central role in supplying missiles, drone technology, training, and strategic direction to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and affiliated groups. Israeli officials and regional analysts warn of ongoing attempts by Iran to escalate conflict by arming its proxies on multiple fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
The IDF continues to prioritize civilian protection by implementing warning procedures—including leaflets, phone messages, and the use of roof-knocking munitions—before strikes on dual-use sites. Independent military analysts and humanitarian organizations have noted that such measures are unprecedented among modern militaries, particularly in urban combat scenarios where enemy forces are purposefully embedded among noncombatants.
Since the start of the current war, more than ten thousand rockets and missiles have been launched at Israeli population centers from Gaza. The majority have been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, but numerous incidents have resulted in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure. The constant threat underlines the enduring nature of the confrontation and the necessity of ongoing IDF operations to dismantle the terror arsenal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly affirmed Israel’s position that the reestablishment of security and the eventual reconstruction of Gaza are contingent on the complete removal of Hamas’s capacity to conduct military operations or control territory. He has received public support from President Donald Trump’s administration, which continues to recognize Israel’s right and obligation to protect its citizens from acts of aggression.
Efforts by Egypt and regional partners to negotiate the release of hostages and facilitate humanitarian relief have encountered significant obstacles due to Hamas’s demands and refusal to relinquish control of its remaining captives. The legal and moral distinction between the civilians and soldiers seized by force and the terrorists incarcerated following conviction for attacks on Israelis remains a central issue in ongoing diplomatic discussions.
Israeli defense officials have reiterated that operations in Gaza form one component of a wider regional struggle against Iranian expansionism and the network of proxy militias—an axis of resistance—that threatens the stability of the Middle East. This axis has launched near-daily attacks from Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, creating a multi-front security dilemma for Israel.
Looking ahead, Israeli military sources say that the air campaign will continue to target both immediate threats—such as active rocket positions—and long-term force-multipliers, including underground command-and-control facilities, logistics hubs, and arms factories. Intelligence gathering and international cooperation remain vital for success, as Israel’s adversaries use increasingly sophisticated methods to conceal their activities and circumvent border controls.
As the war endures and international attention remains focused on Gaza, IDF commanders underscore that their first responsibility is to protect Israeli lives. In their assessment, the suffering and instability in Gaza will persist until terror organizations are disbanded and the Iranian regime’s hold over the region is decisively broken. Only by neutralizing the threat at its source, officials maintain, can there be hope for future reconciliation and lasting peace in the region.
