Jerusalem – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it has launched an extensive new ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, deploying tank, infantry and commando units into territory that had been under Hamas control. In a statement, the IDF said troops from its Southern Command – including both standing brigades and reserve units – “began a broad ground operation throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, as part of the start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots”. Armored columns and infantry have advanced from Israel’s border deeper into Gaza, while Israeli aircraft have struck dozens of targets to support the assault. According to the military, the operation covers central Gaza and the north, with a focus on securing strategic zones and disrupting Hamas networks.
The army said its forces had extended Israeli control over the Netzarim Corridor – a main route linking northern and southern Gaza – in a “focused” maneuver. The IDF described this as creating a partial buffer zone between the north and south of the enclave. Reservists in infantry, armor and engineering corps have been brought in; the air force and artillery have pounded Hamas positions in a synchronized effort. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out hundreds of strikes in recent days “in order to disrupt the enemy’s preparations and assist the ground operation,” the military said, targeting weapons depots, militant cells, tunnel shafts and anti-tank launch sites. “So far, the IDF says troops have killed ‘dozens of terrorists’ and destroyed terrorist infrastructure above and below ground, and are now holding strategic areas in the Strip,” the army reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video message, called the operation “intensive” and said it would see many Gazan residents moved southward “for their own safety”. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Operation Gideon’s Chariots was being conducted with “great force”. The official goal of the offensive is to secure the release of Israeli citizens still held hostage by Hamas and to decisively dismantle the Hamas military infrastructure. In an official statement the IDF said the operation’s objectives were “to release the hostages and to defeat Hamas”. The army has vowed that it will not stop fighting “until the hostages are returned and Hamas is dismantled,” according to military spokesmen. Netanyahu’s cabinet ministers have signaled that Israel intends to hold on to any territory it clears. A senior Israeli security source told reporters that “the IDF intends to remain in any area that is conquered to prevent terrorism from returning”, following the precedent it set in securing buffer zones near Rafah.
To minimize civilian harm, the IDF says it took extensive precautions before the assault. Soldiers dropped thousands of leaflets over northern Gaza warning residents to evacuate. One leaflet read: “Urgent warning… you are in a dangerous combat zone… Evacuate immediately southward,” directing civilians to flee combat areas. The army also broadcast audio warnings and opened safe corridors for residents moving away from the front lines. According to the IDF, these measures give Gazans a chance to seek shelter in the southern part of the Strip. Israeli military officials note that Hamas maintains its command centers and rocket infrastructure under hospitals, schools and residential neighborhoods, embedding its fighters among civilians. “Israel blames civilian casualties on Hamas because the terror group is deeply embedded among civilians,” an Israeli official said, stressing that militants’ use of civilian areas forces the IDF to take extra care in selecting targets.
The offensive comes after several days of intense Israeli bombardment. Since mid-May, the IAF struck more than 670 Hamas sites, according to the army, including weapons depots and tunnel shafts in Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Khan Younis. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reported dozens of casualties from those strikes, but the IDF says most were militants. Prior to the ground push, Israel renewed evacuation orders for northern districts and tightened its perimeter defenses around settlements inside Israel. By Saturday, Israeli forces had surrounded the large Jabalia refugee camp and moved armor into the Al-Salateen neighborhood of Beit Lahia, according to military sources and media reports. The IDF stressed that it is targeting only military objectives: anti-tank teams, rocket crews, underground bunkers and the Hamas leadership’s hideouts. The army says its troops are concentrating on Hamas’s command-and-control centers and weapons caches.
This campaign marks a major escalation after two months of relative calm. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire had been in place since late January, but talks to extend it collapsed in early March. Israel blames Hamas for the breach, saying the militants refused to free even a handful of the roughly 110 hostages still held in Gaza or agree to other terms. When the truce fell apart, Israel quickly resumed airstrikes and announced that ground operations would follow. According to official accounts, Hamas leaders repeatedly reneged on previous agreements and continued firing rockets toward Israeli towns. On May 17, Israel announced that it was returning to the battlefield to forcefully press its demands. An Israeli government statement said the strategy is meant to boost pressure on Hamas to “reach a new agreement on our terms,” chiefly a full ceasefire and the unconditional release of remaining Israeli captives. In his remarks, Netanyahu said Israel would only pause if Hamas completely capitulated to Israel’s conditions.
Israel’s official narrative emphasizes self-defense. The government points to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel – in which some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage – as the trigger for the current war. Officials say that until Hamas is eliminated as a fighting force, Israel’s northern communities and the region around Gaza remain under constant threat of cross-border fire. Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed that this operation will not relent until Israel’s security needs are met. “We will continue to strike and expand our operations until all goals are achieved,” one Israeli official said, referring to the campaign’s code name. Defense Minister Katz warned that if Hamas refuses to cooperate in freeing the hostages, “Israel will act with force you have not yet seen”.
Some foreign leaders have expressed concern over the offensive. In Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani urged Israel to halt its ground operation “for the sake of the Palestinian civilians,” saying “that’s enough” at least for the time being. A number of UN envoys have also called for an immediate ceasefire, warning of a humanitarian crisis. Israel’s government rejects calls for a pause, however, and insists that it has the right to defend itself. Washington has publicly backed Israel’s stance. The U.S. State Department blamed Hamas for the renewal of hostilities and said it was working to revive an extended truce deal, but made clear that “the U.S. stood with Israel” as it fights to recover hostages. American officials noted that several provisional proposals (a so-called “bridge” agreement) have been on the table in recent weeks to bridge another ceasefire and hostage release – an opportunity that Israel hopes to leverage even as the offensive proceeds.
For now, Israel’s army has warned that the operation could last for months. The defense establishment has called up tens of thousands of reservists and said the war could drag on through 2025. Israeli leaders say they will continue major combat until Hamas is broken and all captives are home. As one senior IDF officer put it, Israel has “just begun” the ground phase and will hold any newly secured terrain to provide long-term protection for the border communities. Palestinian officials note the expanding devastation in Gaza, but Israel argues the campaign is aimed only at destroying Hamas’s military power and that every reasonable precaution is being taken to spare civilians. With international pressure mounting, Israel’s political and military chiefs say they are watching developments closely – but so far they insist that altering their course is not an option until their strategic goals are achieved.
