The IDF said Wednesday afternoon that it was expanding its operations in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, days after five soldiers were killed in what appeared to have been part of a pre-planned Hamas ambush, which also targeted rescue forces.
The military said the Givati Brigade’s combat team, under the command of the 162nd Division, has joined 99th Division troops and launched an operation to encircle Beit Hanoun. “The forces are operating to eliminate terrorists and to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and Hamas' military capabilities in the area,” it said.
Israeli airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, Gaza
Meanwhile, Palestinian sources in Gaza reported that Israeli Air Force jets carried out heavy, continuous bombardment around Beit Hanoun. A series of strikes was also reported in Gaza City proper, although the IDF has not yet extended operations into the Hamas strongholds there. The area has been the site of repeated IDF ground incursions since late 2023, each followed by renewed operations in the absence of a government decision on Gaza’s status.
According to the IDF, dozens of terrorists remain above and below ground in Beit Hanoun, continuing guerrilla activities and striking IDF personnel. The 99th Division has begun targeting terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground. Most of the current operation, however, is focused below ground.
The military is also seeking to apprehend those responsible for the recent soldier deaths. Officials estimate that between eight and 12 terrorists were involved in the ambush. To tighten pressure and intensify the operation, IDF forces have carried out the current encirclement.
Israeli officials are mindful that a pause in military activity could come at any moment, as political negotiations in Washington may force a halt. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has repeatedly said that operations are nearing completion and require new government decisions.
As the IDF intensifies strikes in northern Gaza in an effort to target terrorists ahead of a potential ceasefire, the central dispute in the U.S.‑brokered negotiations remains Israel’s demand to maintain control of the Morag Corridor — along which a proposed “humanitarian city,” housing hundreds of thousands of Gazans, is to be established. Palestinians say the ceasefire talks have not yielded a breakthrough, despite meetings between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
A Palestinian official told Al‑Quds Al‑Hadath that “mediators are making significant efforts to prevent the failure of negotiations,” adding, “In recent hours, there has been intensified effort to close the gaps on disputed points.”
Saudi‑based Al Arabiya reported that Israel may consider a partial withdrawal from the Morag Corridor, extending from Gaza’s coast to the center of the axis. A security source told the outlet that drones would continue to patrol over the military‑withdrawn segment to maintain surveillance. The official also indicated that the Israeli Navy would secure the coastal stretch of the corridor, envisioned as a passageway for residents traveling from south to north.
The Beit Hanoun disaster
The soldiers killed in the Beit Hanoun ambush were Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, of Jerusalem; Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, of Jerusalem; Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 28, of Haifa; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, of Jerusalem; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, of Beit Shemesh.
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Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin
Four of the fallen were members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion. Asulin, a reservist, served in the Northern Brigade of the Gaza Division and took part in the battalion's operation. Fourteen additional soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously.
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Since the start of the war, 888 IDF soldiers have been killed, 446 of them in the ground campaign in Gaza. Of those, 39 have fallen since the last hostage deal.
The deadly incident occurred late Monday night, around 10 p.m. According to a preliminary investigation by the IDF Southern Command, a Netzah Yehuda detachment was moving on foot across a route where tanks and engineering vehicles had been operating. A chain of explosives was detonated as the soldiers crossed. During evacuation efforts, the rescue force came under fire from terrorists.
The army believes the blast was the result of a pre-planned Hamas ambush. Officials said the terrorist group had studied troop movements in advance and planted explosives at key points. According to the findings, four to five explosive devices were detonated along the route, likely planted in the two days before the soldiers crossed the area on foot. The battalion had begun operations in the region Saturday night.