The army has regained its freedom of action, opening 11 km of roads in three major “refugee camps.”

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Since January 2025, Operation Iron Wall has been concentrating on northern Samaria, with the IDF’s stated aims being to preserve IDF mobility, neutralize terrorist infrastructure and eliminate imminent (“ticking bomb”) threats.

To realize these goals, Col. A. said his engineers have “destroyed 260 buildings and created 11 kilometers of open roads for ourselves. This is not demolition for the sake of demolition, but for an operational purpose, to preserve freedom of action.”

Over the last two decades, he explained, the Palestinians built these neighborhoods in such a way that “a private car could not pass through.”

Dozens of IDF soldiers have been killed or wounded in anti-terror raids in the refugee camps over recent years, both due to the narrow passageways that slowed down the forces, making them easier targets, and the multiple bombs hidden under so many streets they would have to traverse.

This dangerous situation must not be allowed to continue, the officer stated.

“When we’re done, they won’t be able to build [again]. There is a general’s order that allows our forces to enter and destroy [and] keep the field clear.”

“We called it ‘transforming the refugee camps into living neighborhoods,’” he added.

He noted that there is also an ongoing “dialogue” with the Palestinian Authority (PA) about the future of the camps, which are currently dominated by Hamas, the authority’s deadly rival.

“It was explained to them that we did not come to wipe out the camp and now ‘let’s fix it,’” Col. A. said. “We cleaned up the dirt and debris, and they need to fix water and electricity and return residents later, in accordance with a decision by the political echelon. The discussions are still in the planning stages.”

Many Palestinians fled the incipient battle zones after being warned by the IDF to do so, just as the army does regularly in the Gaza Strip, sacrificing the element of surprise to try saving civilian lives.

The IDF first decided to make a major anti-terror push in Judea and Samaria after a string of deadly Palestinian attacks in Israel in 2022, calling the operation “Breaking the Wave.”

In Operation Iron Wall alone, more than 100 terrorists have been killed and more than 300 suspects have been arrested.

The results have been forthcoming, the security establishment said in May.

While there were an average of 214 terrorist attacks a month in 2023, the numbers dropped to 115 in 2024,and further declined to just 57 in the first five months of this year.

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Soldiers have uploaded videos to social media from combat zones, ignored safety rules, and dressed improperly without suffering necessary consequences.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

An IDF investigation has found that discipline is on the wane as the Israel-Hamas war drags on, due mostly to the operational attrition of various units, the army announced Wednesday after presenting its conclusions to the chief of staff.

The in-depth inquiry, led by Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Baruch, had the mandate to “formulat[e] a detailed situational picture regarding the maintenance of operational discipline, the rules of conduct and norms… and the implementation of a proper military culture in combat units” fighting in the south in Gaza and in the north in Lebanon/Syria.

The internal situation in the units fighting on the Judea and Samaria front was not examined.

Operational and information security, perhaps the most important issue, has declined over time, and such phenomena as the soldiers’ use of cellphones in the field was not being as strictly denied as it had been.

“There were even cases where cellular devices were openly used in the combat zones,” the report stated, while noting that the problem was much more manifest in the southern than the northern fronts.

Soldiers have even uploaded videos onto social media “indicating the exact location of the units that operated there,” it said.

Hamas intelligence could theoretically use this information to attack those IDF forces. Israeli intelligence has found vast documentation of the terror organization having gained invaluable data on the IDF from social media prior to its invasion and massacre last October 7 that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

The report also blamed the long months of war for the occurrence of military accidents.

“Due to the operational fatigue of the various units that have been in combat for over a year and three months, there was a loosening of discipline and safety in the various units, which manifested itself in the improper use of resources and led to operational accidents that could have been prevented,” it said.

The breakdown in following safety rules included certain usages of weapons and explosives, and risky driving methods.

The inquiry was prompted by a November incident in which a civilian researcher and tour guide, Ze’ev Ehrlich, was killed along with a soldier in Lebanon after officers allowed his unauthorized entry to examine an important archaeological site. Hezbollah snipers shot them.

When delving into the issue of the entry of civilians into battle zones, the investigators found only “isolated” incidents of those who came in without permission and said that “these cases are being examined and handled.”

Other safety issues they examined included equipment donations that units received from concerned Jews both at home and abroad, as well as the greater laxity of dress codes, where “during the fighting, a phenomenon of widespread non-compliance developed in all areas.”

The report concluded with a string of recommendations to improve both discipline and safety, which were adopted on the spot by the chief of staff.

These included immediately holding day-long seminars on the subjects and having periodic refresher courses during the war, while enforcing punishments for those violating the safety and discipline orders, as this will “prevent accidents and safety incidents, save lives, and meet mission requirements.”

Another recommendation was to transfer forces from sector to sector to prevent attrition. While most divisions have been rotated between the northern and southern fronts, this has not been the case for Division 162, for example, which has been fighting in the Gaza Strip for the entire duration of the war.

The 11-officer team interviewed officers in combat units as well as generals, and talked to regular soldiers in the field, besides examining internal IDF reports on the issues.

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The joint operation including, air force units and ground troops, was launched based on intelligence of terrorist infrastructure in the Nuseirat area. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The IDF announced Thursday that it has launched a targeted operation against terrorist infrastructure in Gaza both above and below ground.

The focus was on Nuseirat, an area where ground troops have not yet operated during the current war.

On Wednesday night, the Israeli Air Force and 215th Artillery Regiment made preliminary strikes taking out dozens of terror targets including tunnel infrastructure.

The joint operation including air forces and ground troops was enacted based on intelligence of terrorist infrastructure in the Nuseirat area.

During the operation, Nahal troops said a terrorist gunman approached them and was eliminated in an airstrike.

Ground troops also located Hamas rocket launchers during the operation.

In addition, Israel’s navy carried out strikes along the coast to assist the ground and air operations.

On Monday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets attacked three Hamas rocket launchers embedded in the humanitarian zone in western Khan Yunis.

The rocket launchers had been used to fire at southern Israel throughout the war.

No civilians were harmed during the operation, the army said.

The IDF emphasized that it confirmed that noncombatants were evacuated from the area before the precision strikes were conducted.

“This is another example of Hamas’ exploitation of humanitarian compounds and areas for its terrorist activities and its use of the civilian population as a human shield,” the IDF said.

These targeted operations are occurring following the IDF’s withdrawal of most of its troops from southern Gaza, with only one brigade remaining.

According to IDF sources, the IDF’s 98th Division has concluded its mission in Khan Yunis. The division left the Gaza Strip to recuperate and prepare for future operations.

A significant force led by the 162nd Division and the division’s Nahal Brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip, and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence-based operations, the sources said.

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The IDF had resumed operations in Gaza City after it was previously believed that they had cleared the area of Hamas terrorists.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

One IDF soldier was killed and two were reported wounded during an IDF operation in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood on Wednesday.

The IDF had resumed operations in Gaza City after it was previously believed that they had cleared the area of Hamas terrorists.

The soldier was named as Staff Sgt. Avraham Wovagen, 21, of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, from Netanya.

The soldier’s death brings the total of IDF casualties since the ground war began to 237.

Two IDF soldiers were wounded in northern Gaza, one a soldier of the 932nd Battalion and the other was a reservist of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit.

Both soldiers were wounded by anti-tank missiles

The IDF reported a major raid in Zeitoun, during which they eliminated dozens of Hamas terrorists and discovered stockpiles of weapons.

The Israeli Air Force and 215th Artillery Regiment carried out airstrikes and hit dozens of targets including tunnels, observation areas and weapon depots.

The IDF reports they have also discovered weapons in private homes.

As the IDF returns to fighting in Gaza City, it continues to “deepen” the fight against Hamas in the southern city of Khan Younis.

The Givati Brigade has entered new areas in Khan Younis and has eliminated many terrorists, the IDF reports.

The Paratroopers and Commando Brigade were expanding operations into western Khan Younis, and the 7th Armored Brigade struck from the air two Hamas terrorists on a motorcycle.

A Givati Brigade soldier in southern Gaza was seriously injured by an explosive device.

In southern Gaza, a soldier of the Givati Brigade was seriously wounded as a result of an explosive device, the army said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been the target of criticism recently, including from the Biden Administration, for the IDF’s stated intention to operate in Rafah, an area of southern Gaza where over a million of Gazan civilians are concentrated.

Netanyahu has declared that a Rafah operation is essential for winning the war against Hamas, and said that only “military pressure and tough negotiations” could secure the release of the hostages.

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