Israel inflicts serious damage to Hamas in the new Gaza offensive
IDF troops in Gaza
Israeli defense forces claim to have recently concluded the cancellation of Tel Al-Sultan in Gaza. (Video IDF)
The Israel war in Gaza resumed in full force last week after the collapse of a ceased fire of two months and a stall situation in the negotiations for the release of the remaining hostages. The defense forces of Israel (IDF) have launched a new wave of air attacks, quickly followed by coordinated land operations in three key areas: The Netzarim corridorThe northern coast of Gaza and the Rafah district to the south.
With the expanded American support and favorable changes in the regional panorama, this subsequent phase reports a significant evolution in the military objectives of Israel, from the degrading capacity of the battlefield of Hamas to dismantle its ability to govern.
“We fought them for 10 days,” said Magg. Gen. Yaakov Amidror (res.), Former Israeli National Security Councilor. “Everything they have managed to do is shooting seven rockets. This tells you how much damage we have already inflicted.”
Israel launches new land operations in Gaza
The IDF troops surrounded Tel al-Sultan in Rafah, Gaza, while dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in the area. The IDF said that the operation was to strengthen control and expand the safety area in the south of Gaza. (IDF)
A high Israeli security official told Fox News Digital: “We seized cache of weapons, workshops and command centers. Hamas does not work as an army today. It is a group of dangerous terror, but that’s not what was 7 October.”
According to Israeli data, most Hamas Senior command has been eliminated and only fragmented units remain.
“They lost their expert leadership,” said the official. “They are operating in survival mode.”
This time, Israel operates in dramatically improved conditions, both militarily and diplomatically.
“The strategic environment has changed,” said Amidror to Fox News Digital. “Hezbollah is weaker, Iran is tied and the American administration is offering us a real support. They are not telling us where to bomb or how to fight.”
With less threats on other fronts and strong support from the Trump AdministrationThe IDF has expanded its scope to include Hamas’ political leadership.
“We are no longer just degrading military skills,” said Amidror. “We are dismantling the structure that allowed Hamas to govern.”
During the break in the fighting, Hamas consolidated control over humanitarian aid, confiscating supplies, claiming goods and using them to recruit fighters and maintain loyalty. Israeli officials now say that it will not be allowed to continue.
Hamas terrorists look while the hostages are released on the Red Cross as part of an agreement of ceased the fire between Israel and Hamas. (TPS the)
“We are working to find a solution so that humanitarian aid reach civilians and are not armed by Hamas,” explained the elderly Israeli security official. He observed that Gaza currently has sufficient food reserves and that Israel is developing new delivery mechanisms that have completely circumvented Hamas.
Fifty -nine Israeli hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity. Their continuous detention has aroused protests at national level, with the families that push the government to give priority to a negotiated release. But the renewed fight puts those hostages in greater danger.
“The only real limitation are the hostages,” Amidror recognized. “We want them live and fight a war while we try to protect them is a great challenge.”
“My position is that first we have to recover the hostages, even if we have to commit ourselves to ending the war and pulling back to a safety perimeter,” said Ram Barak, former deputy head of Mossad and current Knesset member. “We can engage in this, but only if Hamas returns all the hostages. If they do not do it, this alone is a reason to return to war. And even if Hamas will return them, we will be looking at. If Hamas starts to smuggine the weapons again or by training the fighters, even that will be a reason to enter and hit them hard.”
The Israeli soldiers sit on a tank in front of the northern Gaza strip seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on March 18, 2025. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
The security officer said military pressure It is part of a coordinated effort to bring the hostages home.
“They released a group of hostages earlier than expected due to the pressure we applied to Netzarim when they refused to release Arbel Yehud,” he said.
Despite the tactical earnings, Israeli leaders know that war cannot eliminate Hamas’ ideology. The mission, they say, is to prevent him from never governing Gaza again.
Further aid should enter the Gaza strip. Why isn’t he helping?
Israeli troops surround Tel al-Sulttan in Gaza. (IDF)
“We will not return to the days when we let them build an army in silence,” Barak said to Fox News Digital. “We will hit every time that we will see military training or the smuggling of weapons. They will never have more tanks or armored vehicles.”
Barak said that Israel cannot stay in Gaza in the long term: “If we remain as we did in Lebanon for 19 years, we will leave for shame. The only way to win is that someone else replaces Hamas and governed Gaza”.
He also indicated the West Bank as a partial model: “In the West Bank, he rules the Palestinian authority and we operate from the perimeter when necessary. We need the same to Gaza: an internationally supported civil authority that reconstructs the strip (Gaza) and maintains Hamas.”
However, he warned against illusions of peace.
“There will be no peace in the next 20 years. But as Egypt has done with the Muslim brothers, we can suppress Hamas’ ideology and prevent him from taking root again.”
Barak also said Gazas who want to leave It should be allowed: “Let them come out. If they have visas and want to go, Israel should leave them. It will make military operations easier in a less densely populated area”.
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Israeli forces are now deeply incorporated to Gaza, with simultaneous operations in the north, south and central regions.
“These are not symbolic moves,” said Amidror. “We are positioning ourselves for the next phase. In the end we will need to reach each tunnel, detonate the infrastructure and kill every terrorist of Hamas. It is achievable, but it will take at least a year.”
