The report also highlighted the bravery of civilians in the area, particularly the brothers of a base cook who arrived in the midst of the battle and evacuated the wounded in their car under heavy fire.
About 130,000 reservists and five regular divisions are expected to take part in the operation, which will unfold in stages and extend into 2026.
Israel’s armed forces have begun implementing the Aug. 8 decision to occupy Gaza City, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
IDF troops spent three months in southern Khan Yunis eliminating dozens of terrorists—including October 7 attackers—destroying tunnels and weapons caches, dismantling Hamas infrastructure, and securing the ‘Magen Oz’ axis.
The structure also served as the residence of Hezbollah terrorist Muhammad Hussein Qassem, who was eliminated about a week ago.
In late October 2023, the Arab media division of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit revealed Abu Obeida’s identity, naming him as Hudhayfah Kahlot.
IDF troops exposed a vast Hamas tunnel network stretching nearly a kilometer with built-in living quarters and weapons.
Formed 20 years ago as a classified offshoot of the Maglan brigade, Unit 6 specializes in ‘exposure-strike’ operations, identifying and neutralizing high-value targets deep in hostile territory.
Katz added that Israel will maintain its protective efforts for Syrian Druze communities.
No other army has faced a multi-level threat like the IDF, battling terrorists in Gaza both above and below ground—terrain where some of its toughest soldiers now prefer to fight.
‘Jordan represents Israel’s strategic depth to the east, and we need to understand that,’ says Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Amit Yagur.
The targeted power stations, Asar and Hizaz, were described as significant electricity infrastructure exploited by the Houthis for military purposes.
The true size and scope of Hamas’s tunnel network in Gaza only became clear once the IDF began operations in the Strip after Oct. 7—and what they uncovered was astounding.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 13, the IDF killed Muhammad Naif Abu Shamala, a company commander in Hamas’s Nukhba force, the military confirmed on Tuesday.
Military officials said the infiltration was part of Hamas’s wider attack strategy, noting daylight assaults are meant to catch forces off guard.
The IDF has begun trial runs of the Sig Sauer MMG 338 light machine gun, a lighter weapon designed to ease the load on ground forces and better suit urban combat.
The key to victory, an expert argued, is to target Hamas’s greatest strategic vulnerability: its reliance on the Gazan population as a human shield.
In some battalions, women constitute over 60% of personnel, and some even serve aboard Israel’s main battle tanks, the Merkava.
Despite nearly two years of IDF presence in Gaza, forces are still uncovering sprawling tunnel networks hidden beneath wide areas—stocked with weapons, food, and supplies.
More than 230 terrorist commanders and operatives have been killed, and 40 weapons warehouses and more than 20 command centers and training camps have been destroyed.
