Operational Update: IDF Secures Key Hamas Military Quarter

Behind the scenes look into yesterday’s announcement

This newsletter is a long one. But if you’re not in the mood, you can skip to the end for a brief operational update, and two interesting links.

Yesterday I shared a little bit more about how and why we’re investing so much effort to get information out. Today, I want to get back to the military side of things and bring you into the tactical considerations.

I mentioned in passing that yesterday IDF forces secured one of Hamas’ critical military centers in Gaza City - their military quarter. Today, I want to take you for a deep dive into exactly what that looked like and what we found there.

But first, a quick ask.

One of the objectives of this newsletter is to share the raw facts on the ground and provide deeper insights into our operations. If you know of other people who may be interested in first-hand information from me and the Israel Defense Forces, click the button below and share this newsletter with them. Thank you. 

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Before we get into the military quarter, let me take you back to 2007 for a second.

Hamas takes control of the Gaza Strip

In 2007, two years after Israel evacuated thousands of Israelis and unilaterally left the Gaza Strip and one year after elections, Hamas forcibly took control of the Gaza Strip in a bloody coup that left hundreds of Palestinians dead. Hamas murdered the Palestinian opposition and ensured their rule in Gaza would be unchallenged.

Since then, the organization diverted billions of dollars to arming the Gaza Strip, digging tunnels, building weapons manufacturing plants, and training some thirty thousand Hamas terrorists. Only now, during our ground operation, is the extent of their investment really becoming clear.  

Alongside the tunnels and weaponry, their tactics rely heavily on creating a “human Iron Dome”, a human shield that protects their activities behind Palestinian civilians.

The end result for our troops is that they are facing a vicious combination of:

1. Hamas entrenchment in civilian areas, including schools, mosques, and hospitals

2. A network of underground tunnels, hundreds of miles long and with many hundreds of entry and exit points

3. Apartment buildings that provide terrorists with the higher ground from which to launch attacks.

This all makes the Gaza Strip one of the most challenging urban warfare environments imaginable, especially for a military which is committed to operating according to international law.

But, given the Hamas threat - proven again on October 7 - it is unavoidable. There is simply no other way to remove the threat posed by Hamas to the people of Israel.

Hamas military quarter

This is one of Hamas’ central hubs within the Gaza Strip. Positioned smack in the middle of the Gaza Strip, not far from Shifa hospital, and surrounded by schools, it hosts strategic Hamas facilities including:

• Hamas’ central intelligence headquarters

• The aerial array headquarters

• A central Gaza police station

• The largest urban warfare training facility in the Gaza Strip

• Military outposts

• Weapons storage and manufacturing sites used to produce rockets, anti-tank missiles, UAVs and explosives

• Commanders' headquarters

• Underground tunnel networks

• Command and control centers

In other words, it’s a major military target (and a complex one).

Why it matters

After the murderous October 7th attack on Israel, the Israeli government charged the IDF with the responsibility for dismantling Hamas, eliminating the threat they posed to the people of Israel and bringing our hostages home.

That can’t be done without eliminating strategic facilities like these. 

As is clear from the map above, these sites are in close proximity to civilian facilities like schools, kindergartens, medical clinics and mosques. This isn’t incidental, it is a core part of Hamas’ military strategy. In the video below, you can see Hamas firing anti-tank missiles from a school building near their military headquarters.

Securing the military quarter

Securing this area relied on heavy collaboration between the air force, intelligence and ground forces. This specific operation was spearheaded by the 162nd Division, which has been operating in the center of Gaza City for some time now.

The infantry, armor and engineering forces of the 162nd Division, including the Givati Brigade, together with air force support and assistance from special forces, spearheaded the attack in waves. 

Earlier this week, the infantry, armored and engineering forces of the Givati Brigade began to clear the area and neutralize terrorist infrastructure. Much like the rest of Gaza City, this demanded contending with a massive underground tunnel network.

During the course of the attack on this compound, over 50 terrorists were eliminated.

In addition, key military intelligence documents were found, as were a number of tunnel shafts, factories for the production of anti-tank missiles, and anti-aircraft rocket launch posts that were subsequently destroyed.

Here’s what it looks like on the ground:

What this isn’t.

This email is not a “mission accomplished”.

We’re just not there yet. 

Combat in the area is ongoing, as is combat in much of Gaza City and beyond. Tens of thousands of residents continue to evacuate down south, to the safer zones in al-Mawasi. We’re doing everything we can to help facilitate the movement of civilians to safety. But Hamas’ human shield perversely extends there too.

Here’s a radar map I shared with reporters yesterday, showing two locations that terrorists fired from within the safer zone. This sends a clear message from Hamas to the people of Gaza - the people of Gaza aren’t protected by Hamas, instead they are Hamas’ protection.

Operational Updates

A full version of these operational updates are available here.

• Southern Arena: The IDF is intensifying its efforts in the war on Hamas, continuing air, ground, and naval activity in northern Gaza. As mentioned above, yesterday the IDF announced that it secured Hamas’ military quarter in Gaza City. In addition, yesterday over 50,000 Gaza. civilians evacuated towards southern Gaza. Rockets to southern and central Israel continued, albeit at a slower pace.

• Hamas Leadership: Focused operations led to the elimination of crucial Hamas figures, including Ibrahim Abu-Maghsib, head of the Anti-Tank Missile Unit, and key Nukhba force members involved in the October 7th attack.

• Northern Arena: The IDF has responded to various threats across different regions. This includes striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon following attacks on Israeli positions and the downing of a UAV launched by Hezbollah. In Syria, the IDF targeted an organization responsible for a UAV attack on Eilat, Israel, holding the Syrian regime accountable. The Arrow 3 system intercepted a Surface to Surface missile aimed at Israel while over the Red Sea, marking its first operational use.

To date, the families of 356 IDF soldiers have been notified that their loved ones have fell in action. 239 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Quotes

This is a group of lions. I’m not just saying this because you’re sitting here. I this to my brigade commander too. And with a group like this, there is nothing we can’t win. 

Commander of the 162nd Division, BG Itzik Cohen, speaking to soldiers who secured the military quarter

What I’m Reading

• A few days ago, we took a reporter from The Sun into the Gaza Strip. Strongly recommend reading what they published. 

• Our second Mission Brief podcast, including an interview with two IDF majors, one who fights Hamas in the tunnels and another which operates the UAVs that provide aerial support (Spotify, Apple)