An IDF flyer showing Gazans in Deir-al-Balah where to evacuate towards away from the fighting (IDF Spokesperson)
IDF flyer showing the evacuation zones in Deir-al-Balah (IDF spokesperson)

Terror Tunnels Destroyed, Commanders Killed: IDF Opens New Front in Gaza

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IDF Storms Central Gaza: Evacuation Order Marks Major New Phase in War Against Hamas. “Gideon’s Chariots” Campaign Surges Forward as Israel Expands Operations Into Deir al-Balah for the First Time.
 

In a dramatic escalation of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued its first evacuation order for Deir al-Balah, a city in the heart of the Gaza Strip that, until now, had been spared the full might of Israel’s ground operations. This marks a critical new phase in Operation Gideon’s Chariots—Israel’s sweeping campaign to uproot Hamas’s military infrastructure and recover the remaining Israeli hostages.

“The IDF continues to operate with great force to destroy enemy capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area,” said IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee in an X post early Sunday morning, confirming that Israeli forces are entering previously untouched territory in Gaza.

Adraee urged residents in the southwestern quadrant of Deir al-Balah to evacuate immediately toward the designated humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi. The announcement came as the IDF expanded its operational theater beyond the traditional strongholds of Hamas resistance in the north and south.

Ground Forces Tighten the Noose Around Hamas

While the focus has shifted to central Gaza, Israel’s elite combat units are continuing relentless assaults elsewhere in the enclave. In northern Gaza’s Jabalia—a city synonymous with entrenched Hamas militancy—IDF forces from the elite 401st “Iron Tracks” Armored Brigade, under the 162nd Division, are intensifying operations to dismantle Hamas’s combat capability.

Over the past 72 hours alone:

  • Dozens of terrorists were eliminated in face-to-face combat.

  • Hundreds of enemy structures—used for weapons storage, intelligence operations, and launch pads—were destroyed.

  • Combat engineers uncovered and demolished a vast 2.7-kilometer-long terror tunnel network buried 20 meters underground, designed to move operatives, smuggle weapons, and launch surprise attacks on Israeli forces.

These operations are part of a broader effort to surgically dismantle Hamas’s command-and-control systems while minimizing harm to civilians—despite the terror group’s continued use of human shields.

Air Force Delivers Devastating Blows Across Gaza

While ground troops push through the alleyways of Jabalia and now Deir al-Balah, the Israeli Air Force maintains unrelenting pressure from above. Over the weekend, approximately 90 high-value targets were hit across the Gaza Strip, including:

  • Hamas compounds and training sites

  • Tunnels used to traffic arms and fighters

  • Hidden munitions caches embedded in civilian infrastructure

These precision strikes are based on real-time intelligence and represent a joint effort between IDF intelligence, special forces, and aerial command to decapitate Hamas’s leadership.

High-Value Terrorist Targets Eliminated

Israel’s hit list is shrinking—fast. In a series of targeted strikes over the past several days, senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials were neutralized, including:

  • Muhammad Uthayn, commander of Hamas’s Daraj Tuffah Battalion and one of the key field leaders in the October 7 invasion.

  • Raed Khaled Hasan Jabayin, a notorious Islamic Jihad operative previously imprisoned in Israel for nearly a decade.

  • Barhoum Shahin, the so-called “security chief” of western Gaza.

  • Asham Tzartzur, head of Hamas’s eastern Gaza Emergency Committee, responsible for logistical and civilian manipulation.

  • Faraj al-‘Aoul, the head of Hamas’s so-called legal bureau and a senior member of its sham “legislative council.”

These high-value assassinations are not just symbolic. They represent a direct blow to Hamas’s military coordination, propaganda operations, and shadow government infrastructure that props up its terror state.

Casualties and Heroism on the Battlefield

The cost of war remains heavy. Two Israeli reservists were seriously wounded in combat operations in southern Gaza. The injured include:

  • A combat engineering officer in the 179th “Re’em” Reserve Armored Brigade

  • A combat engineering soldier from the 828th Bislamach Brigade, part of the IDF’s elite training and wartime reinforcement units

Both soldiers were evacuated and are receiving medical care. Their sacrifices underscore the perilous nature of the IDF’s mission and the courage required to fight an enemy that buries its command centers beneath homes, mosques, and hospitals.

Netanyahu: No Ceasefire Without Victory

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated over the weekend that Israel’s war aims remain unchanged and uncompromising:

  1. Recover all remaining hostages, both living and dead.

  2. Eliminate Hamas’s ability to govern or wage war from Gaza.

  3. Neutralize future threats emanating from the Strip.

Until those goals are met, Israeli operations will expand—not contract.

“There is no going back to October 6,” a senior Israeli official told The Judean. “The age of Hamas rule in Gaza is ending—by force, if necessary.”

This is not a “conflict.” This is a campaign of liberation—of hostages, of security, and of the truth.

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