TEL AVIV—In the four weeks since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ (‘Might and Sword’), Israel has scored significant operational achievements in its ongoing campaign to dismantle Hamas terror capabilities in the Gaza Strip. The IDF, deploying three divisions and leveraging aerial, intelligence, and special forces assets, has struck more than 1,200 targets tied to Hamas and eliminated 11 senior Hamas commanders. These actions mark a determined escalation in Israel’s war for security and deterrence, reaffirming its commitment to self-defense against Iranian-backed terror networks that threaten the sovereignty and safety of Israel’s civilian population.
Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ was launched against the backdrop of the October 7th Hamas massacre—the deadliest antisemitic atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust—when Iranian-sponsored Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped more than 240 hostages from Israeli communities. The massacre represented the most severe violation of Israeli sovereignty in decades and shattered all previous assumptions about Hamas’s operational capacity, leading to an unprecedented consensus in Israel for decisive military action.
Three IDF divisions have sustained a high tempo of operations across Gaza, conducting simultaneous ground, air, and intelligence operations. IDF strikes have precisely targeted terror command posts, rocket launch sites, underground bunkers, weapons manufacturing workshops, logistics routes, and tunnel infrastructure. According to the IDF, intelligence-guided targeting has played an essential role in minimizing harm to Gaza civilians, despite Hamas’s systematic use of human shields and embedding of military assets in densely populated areas—a practice widely condemned by Western analysts and international law experts.
A critical cornerstone of the operation has been the targeted elimination of 11 senior Hamas commanders, identified through real-time intelligence and aerial surveillance. These high-value individuals were responsible for orchestrating rocket attacks, organizing terror raids, managing Hamas’s extensive tunnel networks, and supervising the illegal detention of hostages. The removal of these commanders has disrupted Hamas’s chain of command, diminished the coordination and discipline of its terrorist cells, and further foiled attempts to launch large-scale assaults against Israeli civilians and military targets.
Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ stands apart from previous IDF campaigns in Gaza. Unlike earlier operations, which were sometimes limited by international pressure, this campaign has skillfully balanced sustained military pressure with measured humanitarian precautions. Throughout the operation, the IDF has maintained open humanitarian corridors, coordinated civilian evacuations, and facilitated aid deliveries when possible, while firmly upholding its ultimate priorities: the restoration of Israeli deterrence, the return of innocent hostages, and the permanent degradation of Hamas’s war-making capability.
The broader geopolitical context is critical in understanding the IDF’s campaign. Hamas, a central actor in the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance, shares operational, logistical, and ideological ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian proxies across Iraq and Syria. The October 7th massacre, and subsequent rocket and drone attacks, reflect an accelerating trend of Iranian-backed escalation meant to destabilize not only Israel but the entire Middle East. Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have openly stated that Israel faces a defensive war imposed by these networks, underscoring that the safety of Israeli children, families, and communities is non-negotiable.
Throughout the past month, IDF units have uncovered and destroyed extensive underground tunnel networks used both for military operations and to conceal hostages. The effort to locate and bring home Israeli hostages—innocent victims seized by Hamas terrorists in violation of all international norms—remains a moral and strategic imperative. The legal and ethical distinction between Israeli hostages (innocent civilians held by force) and the convicted terrorists demanded for exchange by Hamas (men tried and sentenced for murder and terror crimes) is clear, underscoring the moral asymmetry at the heart of the conflict.
International responses have been sharply divided. The United States, led by President Donald Trump, continues to support Israel’s right to self-defense and has provided military, intelligence, and diplomatic backing. European governments, along with regional actors in Egypt and Jordan, have attempted to mediate localized humanitarian pauses and secure the release of hostages, but Israel has held firm that any ceasefire must include tangible guarantees of security and the unconditional return of all hostages.
At the same time, the IDF has employed advanced military technologies, including surveillance drones, advanced munitions, and cyber capabilities to detect, target, and disrupt Hamas assets with increasing efficiency. Israeli analysts suggest that the integration of technological superiority with elite special forces has given Israel new operational flexibility, allowing for dynamic targeting and swift adaptation as Hamas adapts its own tactics under pressure.
Looking ahead, Israeli defense officials and military analysts caution that while the IDF’s achievements since the start of Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ are significant, the campaign will need to continue as long as Hamas poses an existential and operational threat. Hamas, sustained by Iranian weapons, money, and ideological incitement, still commands irregular forces and retains the intent to attack Israeli targets whenever possible. Iran’s leadership, watching closely from afar, continues to direct and motivate its regional proxies to sustain pressure against Israel both militarily and politically.
For the people of Israel, still mourning the victims of the October 7th massacre and united in the demand for the return of hostages, the results of Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ demonstrate Israel’s enduring determination to defend itself against terror. The sacrifices and achievements of its military are not only a matter of national security, but also of moral clarity in an era of asymmetric warfare and pervasive regional instability.
Operation ‘Oz veHerev’ has thus emerged as the latest example of Israel’s doctrine of preemptive defense and moral resolve—a campaign both shaped by the harsh realities of the Iranian terror axis and justified by the enduring imperative to protect every Israeli life.
