by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced Friday it has destroyed dozens of “terror targets” during a sweeping offensive in the Zeitoun neighborhood on the outskirts of Gaza City, part of a broader plan to capture the city in its entirety. The operation comes after Israel’s security cabinet approved the takeover of Gaza’s largest urban center, currently home to an estimated one million Palestinians, amid the 22-month-long war with Hamas.
Ground Forces and Air Support
According to the IDF, the Zeitoun assault is being led by the 99th Division, including the Nahal Infantry Brigade, the 7th Armored Brigade, and the 990th Artillery Regiment. Over recent days, troops have demolished booby-trapped structures, destroyed weapons storage sites, and killed approximately 20 Hamas operatives. In one engagement, soldiers eliminated militants who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a tank.
The Israeli Air Force has been conducting precision strikes in coordination with ground forces, targeting Hamas positions and personnel. Artillery units have also been shelling identified terrorist infrastructure, reportedly killing a Hamas platoon commander from the Zeitoun Battalion.
Civilian Evacuation Warnings
Prior to the offensive, the IDF issued multiple evacuation alerts to civilians in Zeitoun, urging them to leave combat zones. Hamas-run agencies in Gaza reported intensified airstrikes on Zeitoun and nearby Sabra, claiming civilian homes and potentially high-rise buildings were hit.
Sealing Hamas Tunnels in Beit Hanoun
In a separate engineering operation, the IDF said it has neutralized a 7-kilometer-long Hamas tunnel network in Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza. Over a four-week period, combat engineers pumped more than 20,000 cubic meters of concrete into the tunnels via a 4.5-kilometer pipeline from the Israeli border to the underground complex. Another 2.4 kilometers of tunnels were demolished using explosives.
“The operation was made possible thanks to precise engineering planning, advanced technology, and innovative methods used for the first time,” the IDF stated, adding that the destruction dealt a “significant blow” to the Beit Hanoun Battalion, leading to its “operational defeat.”
Casualties and Hostage Situation
Israel reports that Hamas and other terror groups still hold 50 hostages, with 20 believed alive. Hamas claims over 60,000 Gazans have been killed or are missing, though the figure cannot be independently verified. Israel says at least 20,000 of those were combatants, and reiterates that Hamas embeds itself in civilian areas to deter attacks.
The IDF’s own losses in the Gaza ground campaign and related border operations have reached 459 personnel since the conflict began, including soldiers, police officers, and Defense Ministry contractors.
Prophetic Significance: A Vision of a Land Without “Hamas”
Some Bible prophecy teachers see the removal of Hamas from power as aligning with the promise in Isaiah 60:18:
“Violence (‘Hamas’ in Hebrew) shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.”
In Hebrew, the word translated as “violence” is ḥāmās, the same word used by the terror group’s name. For many, this passage offers a hopeful vision of a future where the land is free from terrorist violence, its defenses secure, and its gates marked by worship and peace. As Israel pushes deeper into Gaza City, some believe this could foreshadow the fulfillment of that promise.
Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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