IDF in control of 65% of Gaza Strip

Despite the success of the current operation, scattered areas throughout the Gaza Strip will remain outside IDF control.

By Hezy Laing, World Israel News

Military analysts say Israel is currently in control of 65% of the Gaza Strip, an achievement it secured in only three months.

The IDF has publicly stated its goal of gaining control over approximately 75% of the strip.

After the collapse of a ceasefire agreement in mid-March, the IDF resumed large-scale ground operations and made quick headway.

Initial objectives focused on re-establishing control in northern Gaza, including areas like Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya.

Then the IDF began clearing tunnels, targeting Hamas command centers and pushing civilians southward to isolate terrorists.

Despite the success of the current operation, scattered areas throughout the Gaza Strip will nevertheless remain outside IDF control.

These include:

– Parts of the southern town of Rafah. The western section especially has become a last refuge for some of Hamas’s remaining leadership.

– Urban pockets in central Gaza: Neighborhoods such as al-Zeitoun and al-Tuffah in Gaza City have seen intermittent Hamas activity, though Israeli forces have conducted repeated raids there.

– Tunnel networks beneath Khan Yunis and Gaza City: Despite heavy bombardment, some underground infrastructure remains intact, allowing Hamas to move fighters and supplies covertly.

– Northern Gaza outskirts: Small cells continue to launch attacks or ambush IDF patrols, particularly in areas like Jabaliya.

Despite the lack of total IDF control, analysts believe Hamas’s control is fading.

Intelligence reports suggest Hamas has lost its ability to coordinate operations across Gaza. Fighters are operating autonomously in isolated cells.

In places like Rafah, local clans such as the Abu Shabab group have begun asserting control, sometimes with Israeli backing, further eroding Hamas’s authority.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation now operates food distribution centers in IDF-controlled zones, weakening Hamas’s grip on civilian resources.