Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situational assessment on Sunday regarding the Gaza Division.
The purpose of the discussion, which took place at the Prime Minister's request, was to understand the atmosphere and to meet the soldiers. Around the table in the discussion room sat, among others, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
The discussion lasted more than four hours, with the officers of the Southern Command reviewing the state of the war in the Gaza Strip, the maneuvering pace, the military’s achievements and what is yet to be achieved. Killed terrorists
The Southern Command, the intelligence and the divisions have reached a rate of killing 50-60 terrorists per day which can be identified. This number does not include those who were buried under the rubbles of buildings and underground route.
Underground infrastructure
The Southern Command presented classified maps of the tunnels, shafts and routes that were destroyed by the engineering forces, and those that still need to be demolished.
Since the beginning of the war, the method of identification, mapping, and the rate of destruction of the tunnels were dramatically upgraded. While the army defined these as classified details, the Prime Minister defined them as "important and significant". Brig.-Gen. Goldfuss said at the senior forum, "The moment we take the underground to Hamas, we take most of what it has."
Above-ground infrastructure
Southern Command forces destroy dozens of buildings a day. The infrastructure destruction effort includes the use of explosives and the use of heavy engineering tools.
"The rate of destruction of terrorist infrastructure is higher than expected," said security officials. It should be noted that Hamas is trying to restore the underground route during the war. But the restoration of the tunnel system in Gaza requires tools, construction materials and organization. Right now Hamas is capable of tactical and not strategic restoration. In practice, the destruction of infrastructure leads Hamas terrorists to turn educational and medical institutions into command and control centers and weapons depots.
The buffer zone
The Southern Command announced that the area between the first line of houses and the border fence has been cleared by the IDF. This is the same area from which Nukhba terrorists launched an attack on Israel on October 7.
The Southern Command and the Gaza Division have made a great effort in recent months to create a secure area there which will prevent any intrusion attempt in the future.
One of the test cases that was presented to the Prime Minister was the area from which the Nukhba terrorists set out to attack Nir Oz. The first was the handling of the 'Oz and Nir' operation, during which the Nukhba terrorists in the area were eliminated, including Hamas infrastructure and that of other terror groups.
A similar operation is underway in recent day in Shejaia from which the attack on Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza were carried out.
Intelligence-gathering technologies
The IDF has expanded the scope of measures to collect information near the fence. Also, the IDF has placed masts and sensors deep in Gaza territory that assist in observation and intelligence gathering before the terrorists reach the buffer zone.
Recently, the Gaza Division began the work of condensing the means of collection in the field to Generate reserves in case of a future attack.
UAVs and drones
The operational gap regarding these aircrafts has narrowed significantly over the past year. This is a process that many units in the IDF are promoting. The Defense Minister made it clear that he has directed a special budget to find solutions to the problem, as is customary in many armies around the world.
A bargaining chip
At the end of 8 months of fighting, the Philadelphi Corridor, the Rafah crossing, the Netzarim Corridor, and the buffer zone are controlled by the IDF.
The IDF also has a significant presence in the depth of the territory, and control over everything that enters and leaves the Gaza Strip and prevents smuggling. IDF officers said that engineering and technological activities strengthen the military’s grip on the ground.
Through security components to protect the forces and detection and warning systems against the launch of mortar bombs, the IDF holds the Philadelphia Corridor.
Freedom of activity
Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, emphasized the importance on preserving the freedom of action of divisions to operate wherever there is intelligence. Already at this stage, the Southern Command is using its force in battalions and not in brigades in several areas in Gaza, because the resistance is so small. The test case presented to the prime minister was the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah, which was raided by the Givati Brigade.
Hamas’s impact
According to the information presented to the prime minister, international aid organizations continue to contact and coordinate with Hamas officials for fear that harm may be caused to their operatives in the field. Attempts by clan leaders to reorganize the field cells were severely suppressed by Hamas, but in the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas's power is decreasing, especially compared to southern Gaza.
Special forces and special operations
This section was defined as too sensitive for publication, but received praise from the prime minister for its boldness and creativity. It is important to note that the scope of sensitive intelligence gathered from Hamas documents, servers and computers "changed the rules of the game" in the war, according to sources.
Coming full circle
Hamas went from fighting in large frameworks to the activity of individual terrorists, duos and small squads at most. In some cases, it retreats from places where the IDF is manoeuvring without fighting. The main threats in the field are booby-trapped buildings, snipers, anti-tank missiles and mortars. Against them, the IDF is assisted by the multi-dimensional unit, unmanned aerial vehicles, observations and operations.
In parallel, the commander of the Southern Command instructed to reduce as much as possible the warning time of mortar shells fired at the forces in the field. The IDF attacks any attempt to organize by Hamas that is detected by the intelligence, thereby denying Hamas the ability to restore its military strength through training.
Rockets
This week, Hamas managed to launch a barrage of some 20 rockets from the Khan Yunis area. The IDF claims that this is a concentrated effort that points to the weakness of Hamas, but is still defined as a threat that must be dealt with. Therefore, the commander of the southern command instructed to launch a concentrated attack on the area from which the launches were carried out. The IDF does not rule out the possibility that there will be launches in the coming months, but the scope of the rockets is increasing and decreases, as does the production infrastructure.
Elimination of officials
The name of the head of the operations department in Hamas, Raad Sa'ed, came up in the meeting. It is not yet clear whether he was killed in the targeted attack along with other senior officials. Even in the case in which Marwan Issa was killed, more than two weeks passed before Hamas officially announced. The IDF makes around-the-clock efforts to thwart senior officials.
At the end of the discussion, which lasted until midnight, the prime minister praised the commanders for their achievements, with an emphasis on the commander of the Gaza Division and the commander of the Southern Command. The Defense Minister of and the Chief of Staff recommended that the data presented to him be presented to the members of the political-security cabinet as well.