Near Gaza’s border, the quiet is deceptive. No rocket sirens, no machine-gun bursts—only the occasional thud of Israeli artillery. Behind this calm, the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade is preparing to join the ground maneuver in Gaza, fully aware that among their objectives lie two of their own: hostages Nimrod Cohen and Matan Angrest, held by Hamas.
For the tank crews, that reality means every strike could be interrupted by a chilling order: halt fire, a hostage has been spotted. Lt. Col. C., commander of the 82nd Battalion, says his men are ready. “We’re prepared to stop an attack on terrorists even at the very last moment if needed,” he told Ynet.
IDF tanks in Gaza
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
“Every tank carries a sheet with the hostages’ photos. Some of my officers have friends inside Gaza right now. Our mission is to create the conditions for a deal and to defeat Hamas.”
Unlike the first operation inside Gaza nearly two years ago, officers say this time they know precisely which Hamas strongholds to target. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has stressed caution over speed and the atmosphere in the staging areas reflects that.
“This is a marathon,” said C. “I never promised my soldiers it would end in four months. It could take much longer. We’ve gained better intelligence and technology, but Hamas has also adapted.”
The battalion is entering with a significant number of explosives, trained to collapse buildings systematically. In Gaza City, where construction rises vertically, combat engineers in the reserves will join the push.
“We won’t level every building,” C. noted. “Some we’ll need to clear to recover intelligence. The aim is to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its tunnels.” Hamas, for its part, has prepared with hundreds of booby-trapped sites.
Troops will move slowly and deliberately, he said, with strict rules to keep civilians away. “Hamas is setting manipulative traps. We’re documenting everything ourselves to counter them. We have no shortage of ammunition, even surpluses.”
The long war has strained men and machines alike. This time, C. explained, the brigade will rotate tanks out of battle for deep maintenance, while soldiers will rest after three to four weeks.
Family update protocols have also been reinforced. “The soldiers know they’re fighting for Gaza City, the symbol of Hamas,” he said. “I can’t say if this is the final battle. But Hamas won’t be able to rebuild where we operate.”
Some commanders believe Israel may carve out new corridors inside Gaza as leverage in future talks—or even as potential footholds for settlement, should politics demand it. For now, the orders are clear: advance steadily, destroy Hamas infrastructure and remain ready for the intelligence call that could freeze a trigger finger.
History will also be made. For the first time, new recruits from the ultra-Orthodox Hashmonean Brigade will take part in combat, marking their debut assault as part of the new operation in Gaza.