IDF thwarts suspected Hamas kidnapping plot in Gaza

The terror cell may have been preparing to capture Israeli soldiers, a tactic Hamas has attempted in the past to gain leverage in negotiations.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli forces on Thursday disrupted what appeared to be a Hamas plot to abduct soldiers in Gaza, after spotting a group of armed terrorists lying in ambush near a commonly used IDF patrol route.

Roughly 13 Hamas terrorists, armed with Kalashnikov rifles and RPGs, were detected by drone surveillance and ground observers near a known tunnel shaft in the Khan Younis area.

According to military assessments, the cell may have been preparing to capture Israeli soldiers, a tactic Hamas has attempted in the past to gain leverage in negotiations.

The noise of the drone likely alerted the terrorists, who quickly fled into the underground tunnel.

The IDF, which is familiar with the tunnel’s route and structure, pursued the group and prepare for a targeted strike to eliminate the threat.

The incident occurred as the IDF continues to solidify its hold on Khan Younis.

Troops have established control over a strategic corridor splitting the city, allowing for greater freedom of movement and targeting of terrorist infrastructure on both sides.

In ongoing operations, Israeli forces uncovered a large weapons cache containing explosives, mortar rounds, cluster grenades, and sniper rifles.

Elsewhere in Khan Younis, Unit 504 and combat engineers arrested several terrorists and located a tunnel stretching hundreds of meters underground.

Meanwhile, the IDF’s 98th Division officially concluded its campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The elite unit had conducted prolonged operations in Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya and Zeitoun neighborhoods and more recently in Khan Younis.

The army has not confirmed which unit, if any, will replace it in the area.

According to the IDF, more than 1,500 terrorist sites were destroyed in northern Gaza, and dozens of terrorists were killed, including members of the Shuja’iyya Battalion, which took part in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel.

Military officials said the withdrawal was “in accordance with the operational plan and the combat timeline,” marking a transition in Israel’s ongoing efforts to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities.