The IDF now controls more than 65% of the Gaza Strip and has lifted security restrictions on western Negev communities, paving the way for the gradual return of residents.By Joshua Marks, JNSIsraeli forces have fully encircled the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun in what the military describes as a major push to dismantle Hamas’s remaining strongholds in the area.The operation, which began on Monday night, has come at a heavy cost: five soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded during intense fighting, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Tuesday.According to IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effi Defrin, troops from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion and additional units under Division 99 advanced into Beit Hanoun after a series of air and ground strikes targeted suspected Hamas positions and tunnel networks.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});As the soldiers moved forward on foot alongside armored vehicles, they were hit by three explosive devices in rapid succession. A rescue team dispatched after the initial blast came under heavy fire, leading to further casualties.The casualties were identified as Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 20, from Haifa; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh.Defrin described the loss as “very difficult, very painful,” and offered condolences to the bereaved families.Beit Hanoun, situated just 1.5 kilometers (nearly one mile) from Israel’s border, is considered a key Hamas stronghold, with extensive fortifications and underground tunnels.“It overlooks and threatens Sderot, Nir Am and the railway line that runs between Ashkelon and Sderot stations,” said Defrin. “We will continue to attack and cleanse this area in order to remove the threat from the residents of the western Negev.”The Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which has seen action in Syria, southern Lebanon and Gaza over the past year, eliminated dozens of terrorists, including a company commander in the Beit Hanoun Battalion and other senior commanders, and destroyed significant terrorist infrastructure, according to Defrin.Israeli tanks in Gaza (IDF)The IDF now controls more than 65% of the Gaza Strip, Defrin continued, and has lifted security restrictions on western Negev communities, paving the way for the gradual return of residents.Five IDF divisions are carrying out coordinated strikes and ground operations across the coastal enclave as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”—the 98th Paratroopers, 99th Reserve Infantry and 162nd Armored divisions are operating in northern Gaza; the 143rd “Gaza” Division in the south of the Strip and the 36th Armored Division in central and southern Gaza.“This is a significant milestone in the return of the residents of the western Negev to their homes—in full security. For this we are working and fighting,” the IDF spokesperson continued.Since the renewal of ground operations on March 18 following the end of a ceasefire with Hamas, the IDF has killed over 1,300 terrorists and senior Hamas commanders, according to Defrin.IDF troops operate in Gaza. (IDF)According to a Wednesday morning IDF operational update, troops located and destroyed a cache of explosive devices and landmines hidden in a civilian structure during operations in Shejaiya and Zeitoun—two prominent neighborhoods in the eastern part of Gaza City—over the past 24 hours.At the same time in northern Gaza, troops eliminated a terrorist cell, dismantled military structures used for terrorist purposes, and struck a Hamas weapons facility.In the southern Strip, IDF soldiers eliminated another terrorist cell. Additionally, troops located several shafts and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in the al-Janina area of Rafah.Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 100 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, underground tunnels and other terrorist infrastructure sites.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});צה"ל ממשיך לפעול ברצועת עזה: הושמד מצבור מטענים ומוקשים שהוסתרו במבנה אזרחיכוחות צה״ל בפיקוד הדרום ממשיכים לפעול בהכוונת אמ״ן ושב"כ נגד ארגוני הטרור ברחבי רצועת עזה.בצפון רצועת עזה, כוחות אוגדה 98 פועלים במרחב שג'אעיה וזייתון לחיסול מחבלים ואיתור אמצעי לחימה במרחב. ביממה… pic.twitter.com/X7C7nr5H1v— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 9, 2025The military said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had eliminated the Hamas terrorist who led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on a gas station near Kibbutz Magen.Taha Abu Ayadeh, identified as a platoon commander in Hamas’s Nukhba Force, was killed in a July 1 attack in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, according to the IDF.He “infiltrated Israeli territory during the brutal Oct. 7 massacre and led the infiltration of the gas station in Kibbutz Magen,” the military stated. “In addition, throughout the war, Abu Ayadeh advanced and led numerous terrorist attacks, including several attacks in the last few weeks against IDF troops operating in the Khan Yunis area.”Defrin emphasized that the military remains committed to preventing Hamas from reestablishing itself and to achieving the operation’s goals, including the return of hostages and the collapse of Hamas’ rule in Gaza.“We are systematically and thoroughly destroying terrorism,” Defrin said, vowing that operations will continue until the threat to Israeli civilians is removed.Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the general staff of the IDF, conducted a field tour and held a high-level situational assessment in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Monday, as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.”Zamir reviewed the latest developments and met with troops on the ground. “We continue to operate in all arenas, on all fronts,” he said during his address to soldiers, while emphasizing that the IDF’s “current focus, the central front, is Gaza.”“We are determined—let this be clear to everyone—determined to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves: the return of the hostages, the defeat of Hamas and the safe return of our communities,” he stated.“We will continue to act here with determination, with perseverance, with strength and with wisdom—and we will lead to victory.”Zamir praised the IDF’s accomplishments in the ongoing offensive. “You have achieved great accomplishments here. The greatest achievements since ‘Swords of Iron’ began are here in the Gaza Strip.”The post IDF encircles Beit Hanoun in major push against Hamas appeared first on World Israel News.