The airstrikes also destroyed dozens of booby-trapped buildings, causing huge explosions heard as far south as Sderot and the plains region, as hidden IEDs detonated in secondary blasts as well.
The IDF’s 401st Brigade is intensifying its assault in Jabaliya, destroying terror hubs, seizing weapons, eliminating dozens of terrorists, and demolishing nearly 3 kilometers of underground tunnels buried 20 meters deep.
The IDF believes that terrorists have taken full advantage of the situation and that there is such a strong Hamas military presence in the area that it will take two months of hard work by at least two brigades to clear it of the terrorists.
There are five divisions currently operating in Gaza – the 36th, 98th, 99th, 143rd, and 162nd.
The IDF continues to counter emerging threats along Israel’s borders, applying hard-earned lessons from over two years of war—addressing dangers in real time rather than allowing them to fester.
Trainees practiced complex scenarios, such as extracting wounded soldiers from behind enemy lines and evacuating from armored vehicles or helicopters under simulated combat stress.
A Hamas Telegram channel acknowledged that an attempt to abduct an IDF soldier was foiled, claiming that terrorists stole his weapon instead.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force attacked some 180 terrorist targets across Gaza over the course of 24 hours in support of the ground forces.
Five IDF divisions are carrying out coordinated strikes and ground operations across the coastal enclave as part of ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots.’
The troops were not traveling inside an armored vehicle at the time of the blast.
According to the military, more than 100 terrorists have been killed by IDF units under the Southern Command over the past week.
The strike killed at least two other Hamas operatives, identified by the IDF as Hisham Ayman Atiya Mansour and Nassim Muhammad Suleiman Abu Sabha.
Michalovitch’s death marks the 881st IDF casualty since the war began.
Under the command of the 98th Division, Israeli forces are advancing farther into eastern Gaza City, killing terrorists, destroying underground networks, and striking more than 100 important Hamas targets.
Naval forces also struck targets in southern Gaza.
Israeli forces have eliminated dozens of terrorists and destroyed hundreds of terror sites in Gaza, including operational apartments, tunnel shafts, and over 3 kilometers of underground tunnels used to plan and launch attacks.
Al-Issa was one of the founding members of the terror group’s military wing, and had worked to help rebuild Hamas’ operational structure, which was battered during the last 19 months of fighting in the Strip.
An initial IDF probe found that a terrorist attached an explosive device on their APC, which was either detonated remotely or triggered to explode while the soldiers were driving through Khan Younis.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani announced that Doha was working to facilitate the resumption of talks between Israel and Hamas in the near future.
IDF forces destroyed more than 2.5 kilometers of Hamas tunnels in Jabaliya, targeting underground shelters used by terrorists for prolonged operations.
