With Divisions 98 and 162 driving into the heart of Gaza City, and Division 36 poised to join, Israel intensifies its campaign to dismantle Hamas’s command network, protect hostages, and counter the world’s largest human shield.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched a new stage of their Gaza campaign, bringing two divisions into the dense urban core of Gaza City. Brigadier General Effie Deffrin, the IDF spokesperson, said on Tuesday evening that Divisions 98 and 162 are already operating in the city, while Division 36 remains positioned on the outskirts and will join in the coming days. “Three divisions are operating to reach the heart of Gaza City, and are already holding extensive areas,” Deffrin announced at a press conference.
He described Gaza City as Hamas’s “central hub of military and governing power—their main stronghold,” warning that its surface streets conceal “a vast network of tunnels, connecting command centers, rocket launchers, and weapons storage facilities—all deliberately hidden under civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
Hostages at the Core of the Mission
Deffrin emphasized that the safe return of Israeli hostages remains the army’s highest priority. “Hamas continues to hold dozens of our hostages in inhumane conditions. Their safe return is at the forefront of our mission. They are the reason we continue our fight,” he said, while noting that the IDF is working in full coordination with the Shin Bet to track hostages’ locations.
Families of captives, who have been pressing for clearer answers from the government, were reassured that efforts are ongoing at every operational stage. The IDF has stressed that tactical decisions are shaped in part by the need to avoid endangering the hostages, even as it advances deeper into the city.
Human Shield Allegations
Deffrin accused Hamas of committing a crime of historic scale by creating “the largest human shield in history.” According to him, Hamas is preventing the evacuation of Gaza City’s civilians in order to protect its fighters and infrastructure. “They are hiding behind their own people, refusing to let them leave, and forcing us to fight in the most complex urban battlefield imaginable,” he said.
Israel Katz, Israel’s Defense Minister, underscored the same point: “The world must understand, Hamas is not only attacking Israel—it is holding its own people hostage in Gaza City, using women and children to cover for its tunnels and rockets.”
Humanitarian Corridors and Evacuation Warnings
The IDF’s international spokesperson, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, highlighted Israel’s unusual military practice of repeatedly warning civilians before operations. “We have done something that no army in the world has done—give up the element of surprise and give a warning to the population,” he said at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference. “Tuesday morning’s maneuvers surprised no one due to the prior alerts.”
Shoshani said the IDF has coordinated humanitarian zones in southern Gaza, designed to provide food, water, medical care, and shelter. “We are doing everything we can to get the civilian population out of harm’s way,” he said. “We have coordinated water, food, medical care, tents, and other services for those evacuating.”
Israeli officials argue that these measures have received far too little coverage abroad. “The international press is quick to report suffering,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz, “but rarely acknowledges that no other army in history has gone to such lengths to warn civilians before striking enemy forces.”
External Reactions
Reactions abroad have been sharply divided. The United Nations Human Rights Office described Israel’s strikes as “indiscriminate” and warned of catastrophic consequences for civilians. A spokesperson in Geneva said, “We are deeply alarmed by the scale of bombardments and ground operations in Gaza City and the lack of safe passage for civilians.”
The United States has publicly backed Israel’s right to self-defense but urged restraint. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Washington, “Israel faces a determined and ruthless enemy in Hamas, but it must also ensure that humanitarian needs are met.”
Former President Donald Trump voiced strong support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rally in Florida, calling the IDF’s offensive “a fight for civilization itself.” He told the crowd, “If Hamas harms the hostages, all bets are off,” echoing his past statements of solidarity. Trump has also extended a personal invitation to Netanyahu to visit him in the United States during the coming months, a gesture viewed in Jerusalem as both political and symbolic support.
The Scale of the Offensive
Military analysts note that Israel’s decision to commit three full divisions represents one of the largest ground efforts of the war. Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of IDF Military Intelligence Research, told Israel Hayom that “this is the decisive stage. Hamas has concentrated its surviving forces in Gaza City, and the IDF is methodically dismantling their capabilities.”
According to international estimates, several thousand Hamas fighters remain entrenched in Gaza City, relying on subterranean mobility and blending into civilian areas. Reuters reported that Israeli commanders expect the campaign to be slow, costly, and heavily reliant on intelligence to avoid ambushes and booby traps.
The Guardian observed that the battle “is likely to be one of the most intense urban combat operations since the Second World War,” citing the density of population, the scale of tunnel systems, and the psychological weight of the hostage crisis.
Looking Ahead
With Division 36 preparing to join Divisions 98 and 162, Israel’s maneuvering capacity inside the city will expand. The push is aimed at encircling Hamas’s remaining command centers and severing its access to supply routes. Israeli officials have avoided specifying a timeline, saying only that operations will continue “until the mission is complete.”
As the fighting intensifies, the world’s attention will remain fixed on Gaza City—on the fate of the hostages, the resilience of Hamas, and the IDF’s ability to press forward in what many describe as the most difficult battlefield Israel has ever faced.
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