By: Fern Sidman

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have sharply escalated operations in Gaza City, announcing that more than 140 terrorist targets were struck in the past 24 hours as part of a sweeping air and ground campaign aimed at crippling Hamas’s command networks and eliminating its fighters.

According to an official military update released Friday, the offensive—anchored by multiple divisions and artillery units—marks a significant phase in Operation Gideon Chariots B, with the Israel Air Force (IAF) delivering coordinated strikes against terrorist positions both above and below ground. The IDF emphasized that the campaign is focused on dismantling Hamas infrastructure, uncovering weapons caches, and neutralizing terrorists embedded within Gaza’s dense urban terrain.

Precision Strikes by the 98th Division

The IDF reported that the 98th Division spearheaded several critical strikes in Gaza City, focusing on subterranean and above-ground infrastructure used by Hamas fighters. A terrorist attempting to carry out an improvised explosive device (IED) attack was eliminated by Israeli forces. Military sources confirmed that the explosion triggered multiple secondary blasts, indicating the presence of additional hidden munitions in the area.

The division has been tasked with identifying and neutralizing Hamas’s extensive tunnel system, described by Israeli officials as a “city beneath a city” that allows the terror group to maneuver, store weapons, and launch surprise attacks on IDF soldiers.

“The 98th Division has been working relentlessly to dismantle Hamas’s underground networks, which pose one of the gravest threats to our troops and to Israeli civilians,” an IDF spokesperson noted, underscoring the dual mission of tactical elimination of threats and intelligence gathering for future phases of the war.

36th Division Clears Tunnel Complexes

Parallel to the 98th Division’s efforts, the 36th Division advanced into sections of Gaza City long fortified by Hamas. This unit focused primarily on clearing tunnels and underground bunkers used by militants to shield themselves from airstrikes and ambush advancing troops.

In coordinated maneuvers supported by combat engineers, IDF forces located, mapped, and destroyed tunnel shafts linking various neighborhoods to command hubs. The demolition of these passageways, the IDF said, “crippled” Hamas networks by cutting communication lines and denying fighters mobility.

Senior Israeli military officials stressed that clearing tunnels is one of the most dangerous aspects of the operation, exposing soldiers to close-quarters combat and booby traps. Despite these risks, the IDF said the division’s advances significantly weakened Hamas’s operational capacity in northern Gaza.

282nd Artillery Brigade Delivers Massive Firepower

Complementing the infantry and air force campaigns, the 282nd Artillery Brigade carried out more than 35 strikes on enemy positions across Gaza City. These artillery missions targeted Hamas command centers, weapons depots, and concentrations of fighters, with the IDF confirming the elimination of numerous operatives in the process.

By saturating targeted areas with precision-guided munitions, the brigade provided critical support for advancing ground units, suppressing enemy fire and disrupting Hamas ambushes before they could materialize.

Artillery fire has long been a cornerstone of the IDF’s combined-arms strategy, and the 282nd Brigade’s role in this campaign demonstrates the scale of firepower Israel is prepared to deploy to secure tactical objectives.

162nd Division Engages in Fierce Combat

The 162nd Division, meanwhile, pushed deep into enemy-held zones of Gaza, conducting close-quarters combat with Hamas fighters. According to the IDF, the division successfully destroyed enemy military sites, engaged militants in street-level skirmishes, and uncovered caches of weapons and explosives intended for use against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Reports from the battlefield indicated that the division’s forces encountered fortified enemy positions but managed to overcome them through coordinated infantry and mechanized assaults. “The 162nd Division’s determination in close combat continues to deliver significant blows to Hamas’s fighting capabilities,” an IDF statement said.

A Combined-Arms Operation

The strikes and maneuvers over the last 24 hours reflect a high-intensity combined-arms operation involving air, artillery, and ground forces working in tandem. The IDF emphasized that the campaign is designed not only to eliminate immediate threats but also to create conditions for long-term stability by dismantling Hamas’s ability to wage war.

“The mission is to secure Israel’s citizens by systematically dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure and bringing home the hostages still held in Gaza,” the IDF said.

Military officials also noted that Israel is continuing humanitarian measures in southern Gaza, including the establishment of aid corridors and designated safe zones, even as combat operations intensify in the north.

Hamas Tactics Highlighted

In its update, the IDF once again underscored the tactics employed by Hamas, which it accuses of deliberately endangering Gaza’s civilian population. Terrorists have repeatedly used residential neighborhoods, schools, and mosques as cover for weapons storage and combat positions, the military said.

The presence of secondary explosions during Thursday’s strikes was cited as further evidence that Hamas routinely embeds explosives and weapons in civilian areas. “Every secondary explosion is a tragic reminder of Hamas’s exploitation of its own people,” the IDF noted.

Strategic Implications

The intensity of Thursday’s operations signals Israel’s determination to dismantle Hamas’s military infrastructure in Gaza City, long considered the group’s central stronghold. Analysts note that the 98th and 36th Divisions’ focus on tunnel warfare is particularly significant, given Hamas’s reliance on subterranean routes for survival and tactical advantage.

The operations also highlight Israel’s willingness to sustain high-tempo, multi-pronged campaigns deep inside hostile territory despite international pressure for restraint. By coordinating air, artillery, and ground elements, the IDF seeks to degrade Hamas systematically while minimizing risks to its own forces.

At the same time, the scope of the strikes underscores the scale of the challenge: Hamas remains entrenched across Gaza, with an estimated network of hundreds of miles of tunnels and thousands of fighters still active.

As Operation Gideon Chariots B progresses, the IDF has signaled that its immediate goals remain unchanged: to dismantle Hamas’s terror infrastructure, return the remaining hostages, and secure the Israeli population from future attacks.

The military warned that the coming days will likely bring even more intensive strikes and close-quarters battles as divisions press deeper into Gaza’s urban terrain. “The war is far from over, but every day brings us closer to dismantling Hamas’s military machine,” an IDF officer stated.

For Israel, the fight in Gaza City is not just a tactical operation but a defining test of its ability to degrade a terrorist organization that has entrenched itself in one of the world’s most densely populated areas.

Over the past 24 hours, Israel has demonstrated the full weight of its military resolve, striking more than 140 targets across Gaza while advancing its ground operation in Gaza City. The actions of the 98th, 36th, 282nd, and 162nd Divisions underscore the IDF’s determination to pursue Hamas on every front—above ground, underground, and within the heart of Gaza’s urban core.