IAF Attacks 160 Terror Sites as Gaza Offensive Expands

Monday, 19 May 2025 | The Israel Defense Forces continued wide-scale operations Monday as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” reporting more than 160 airstrikes in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip and expanded ground activity targeting Hamas infrastructure.

“Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force struck more than 160 targets across the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement. “In northern Gaza, terrorist squads, anti-tank positions and military buildings were attacked. In central Gaza, underground tunnels and a weapons warehouse were hit. In the south, airstrikes targeted terrorist squads, booby-trapped buildings, a command center and an anti-tank launch position.

In recent weeks, the Golani Brigade has been operating in the Morag Corridor between Hamas’ Khan Yunis and Rafah brigades. So far, the troops have neutralized hundreds of terrorist infrastructure sites, eliminated dozens of terrorists, and located dozens of terror tunnel shafts.

In recent days, Yahalom Unit soldiers, under the brigade’s command, dismantled the tunnel into which the terrorists fled after they detonated the explosive device that killed Capt. Noam Ravid, 23, from Sha’arei Tikva in Samaria, and Staff Sgt. Yaly Seror, 20, from Omer, near Beersheva, and wounded two additional soldiers on May 3.

After detonating the explosive device, the terrorists escaped through a booby-trapped tunnel shaft toward an underground terror tunnel stretching hundreds of meters. In a precise operation, the soldiers located the tunnel route and dismantled it.

During the dismantling of the tunnel, another terrorist cell operating in the area and hiding inside the tunnel was eliminated.

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, issued an urgent evacuation warning on Monday to residents of Khan Yunis, Bani Suheila and Abasan al-Kabira, writing: “The Israeli army will launch an unprecedented attack to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations in this area. You must evacuate immediately westward to the Al-Mawasi area. From this moment, Khan Yunis is considered a dangerous combat zone. The terrorist organizations have brought disaster upon you—evacuate immediately for your safety.”

On Sunday, the military announced the official start of the ground phase of the operation.

“Over the past 24 hours, forces of the IDF’s Southern Command, both regular and reserve, have started a large-scale ground operation across the northern and southern Gaza Strip as part of the beginning of Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the army said.

“So far, the forces have eliminated dozens of terrorists, destroyed terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground, and are now taking control of strategic areas within the Strip,” the IDF continued. 

The military noted that over the past week, the Israeli Air Force had attacked more than 670 Hamas targets across the Strip in an attempt to “disrupt enemy preparations and support the ground operation.”

Among the targets hit were weapons depots, terrorist operatives, tunnels and anti-tank launch positions, it said.

“The IDF will continue to operate against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip as necessary to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” it added.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday alongside OC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and Brig.-Gen. Sagiv Dahan, the commander of the 162nd “Steel Formation” Armored Division.

“This past weekend, we launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots. We will continue until we dismantle the enemy’s combat ability and achieve a decisive defeat wherever we operate,” stated Zamir, per a readout.

“We cannot go back to the reality of October 7,” Zamir said of the security strategy that prevailed in Israel before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

The IDF chief highlighted that the resumption of combat in the Strip served two goals: the return of the remaining 58 hostages being held in Gaza and the defeat of the Palestinian terror group.

“The IDF will provide flexibility to the political echelon to advance any hostage deal,” Zamir declared, adding, “A hostage deal is not a halt, it is an achievement. We are actively working toward it.”

The government earlier on Sunday announced that it was pursuing a broader deal for ending the war, one that includes the release of all hostages, the expulsion of Hamas terrorists and the disarmament of the enclave.

The Israeli negotiating team in Doha is actively working to exhaust every opportunity to reach an agreement, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said. Talks are being conducted under multiple frameworks, including one proposed by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Witkoff‘s deal reportedly envisions a multi-stage agreement, beginning with a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages, followed by reciprocal steps such as the release of jailed Palestinian terrorists and further negotiations aimed at a permanent cessation of hostilities.

On Saturday morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: “With the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza, led with great force by IDF command, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal, contrary to the intransigent stance they had taken up until that moment.” 

He continued, “The heroism of IDF soldiers, the unity of the people, and the determination of the political leadership increase the chances of bringing back the hostages.” Fifty-eight hostages, living and dead, are believed to remain in Gaza, 590 days after the October 7, 2023, attacks.

The current military campaign will continue “as long as necessary” to neutralize Hamas’s remaining strongholds, military officials have said.