TEL AVIV — The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has launched an extensive campaign of targeted airstrikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours, destroying more than 110 sites linked to Hamas and affiliated terror organizations. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that these operations focused on strategic military and terrorist infrastructure, including underground tunnels, weapon depots, and operational command sites, as part of Israel’s ongoing regional war against Iranian-backed networks.
Central to these strikes was a key operation against a major naval compound in the Nuseirat area, which according to the IDF had been used to plan maritime terror attacks. The targeted facility served as a headquarters for Hamas’ specialized naval force, which has attempted to threaten Israel’s security through seaborne incursions and smuggling operations—tactics increasingly financed and supported by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Alongside the aerial campaign, ground forces from the IDF’s 252nd Division conducted operations in northern Gaza, uncovering and demolishing sophisticated tunnel networks and hidden shafts. These tunnels, often purposefully built beneath civilian areas, serve as conduits for terrorist movement, supply, and surprise attacks. During the operation, IDF drones identified and eliminated armed Hamas operatives advancing towards Israeli units, further underlining the sustained threat posed by Gaza-based militants.
In Rafah and the critical Morag corridor, the Gaza Division, supported by air assets and real-time intelligence, dismantled additional terror infrastructure. Soldiers located and destroyed tunnel openings, weapons caches, and mortar pits used for launching attacks at Israeli border communities. The IDF reported the seizure of rocket launchers and destruction of both above-ground and subterranean assets, preventing further attacks on Israeli towns.
These actions come amid continued hostilities following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, in which Iranian-backed terrorists murdered, tortured, and abducted hundreds of Israeli civilians and foreign nationals. In response, Israel initiated an ongoing campaign to dismantle Hamas’ military capacity and deter further terror attacks, citing a fundamental obligation to protect its citizens and restore security in the region.
IDF operations are meticulously planned to comply with international law. Precision-targeting utilizes surveillance drones, signal intelligence, and advanced reconnaissance to ensure strikes are directed at valid military objectives. Israeli officials underscore their efforts to minimize harm to Gaza’s civilian population, noting that Hamas’ strategy of embedding assets in densely populated areas complicates operations and is a central cause of civilian risk.
The Gaza front is only one theater in Israel’s wider struggle against Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq. These groups form a network aimed at sowing instability and advancing Tehran’s regional ambitions by threatening Israeli and Western interests. Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, have repeatedly stressed that the existential threat posed by Iran’s proxies leaves Israel with no choice but decisive action in self-defense.
Senior defense officials highlighted that targeting Hamas’ naval infrastructure in Nuseirat represents a forward-looking approach—disrupting the development of maritime terror capabilities seen in other Iranian-backed organizations such as Hezbollah. Initiatives to preempt such innovations are viewed as critical to maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge and safeguarding coastal and border communities against evolving threats.
The latest series of strikes also reflect ongoing efforts to free hostages seized during the October 7 attacks—civilians forcibly taken by Hamas in clear violation of international law. Israeli authorities contrast this with the due process accorded to detained terror suspects in Israel, emphasizing the fundamental legal and moral disparity between a sovereign democracy and terror organizations targeting innocents for political leverage.
Egypt continues to facilitate limited humanitarian access through the Rafah crossing, while international actors monitor the situation closely and debate Israel’s response in forums such as the United Nations. Western governments, notably the United States under President Donald Trump, maintain that Israel’s right to self-defense is non-negotiable and rooted in the realities of persistent terror threats sponsored from Tehran.
Advancements in military technology, including improved drone and signal intelligence integration, have enabled Israeli forces to locate and disable enemy positions with unprecedented accuracy. This has allowed the IDF to pursue tactical gains while reducing risk to Israeli troops and noncombatants alike. The application of these capabilities is part of Israel’s broader defense doctrine—one that prioritizes proactive measures to neutralize threats before they emerge as direct danger to Israeli citizens.
Despite significant operational successes against Hamas, Israeli leaders acknowledge that military efforts alone cannot deliver lasting peace. The war’s ultimate goals remain to destroy terror infrastructure, return hostages, and deny Iran’s clients the ability to threaten Israel’s population and sovereignty. As the conflict persists, Israeli officials call on the international community to confront the source of ongoing violence: the Iranian regime’s unending sponsorship of terror groups exploiting Gaza and other cauldrons of instability.
The destruction of over 110 terrorist targets in a coordinated, intelligence-driven campaign delivers a clear message: Israel is committed to defeating the terror networks that imperil its existence and is prepared to take the necessary actions, in accordance with humanitarian law, to ensure the safety of its people. As the IDF maintains pressure on Hamas and its patrons, Israel urges global partners to recognize that peace in the region requires not only immediate tactical victories but also the collective resolve to dismantle the machinery of Iranian-backed terror once and for all.
