The Israeli military has announced the commencement of a significant offensive, designated “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” with the stated objectives of dismantling Hamas and securing the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza.
In a post on its Hebrew X account, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) indicated that troops had been mobilized for the operation to seize “strategic areas” within the Gaza Strip.
According to officials from the Hamas-run civil defense and health ministry, Israeli military actions have resulted in approximately 250 fatalities since Thursday.
An aid blockade had been imposed on Gaza by Israel in March, following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump commented that “a lot of people were starving” in the territory. Notably, the IDF did not use the “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” designation in similar statements on its English-language X account.
The Israeli military stated its intent to continue operations “until Hamas is no longer a threat and all our hostages are home,” and reported having “struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip” within a 24-hour period.
Despite increasing international pressure to resume ceasefire negotiations and end its blockade, Israel has intensified its aerial bombardments and reinforced armored units along the Gaza border. The initiation of this operation suggests a breakdown in diplomatic efforts.
The Times of Israel reported that “Gideon’s Chariots” – a reference to a biblical warrior – would involve the IDF taking and controlling territory, relocating civilians to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, conducting attacks against Hamas, and preventing the group from controlling aid distribution. Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel was preparing for an “intense entry into Gaza” to capture and hold territory.
The Israeli government had indicated that this operation would not commence until President Trump concluded his tour of the Middle East, which he did on Friday.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has cautioned that Israel’s recent intensification of military actions could be construed as a violation of international law.
“This latest barrage of bombs, forcing people to move amid the threat of intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods, and the denial of humanitarian assistance underline that there appears to be a push for a permanent demographic shift in Gaza that is in defiance of international law and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing,” he stated.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed that the United States was “troubled” by the prevailing situation.
Victoria Rose, a British reconstructive surgeon working at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, shared with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that her team was “exhausted” and had collectively experienced a “considerable amount of weight” loss. “The children are really thin,” she said. “We’ve got a lot of youngsters whose teeth have fallen out.”
“A lot of them have quite significant burn injuries and with this level of malnutrition they’re so much more prone to infection and they’ve got so much less capacity to heal.”
A UN-backed assessment released on Monday concluded that Gaza’s population faces a “critical risk” of famine. The Israeli government has consistently refuted claims of a food shortage in Gaza.
Israel initiated its military campaign with the aim of dismantling Hamas following the group’s cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, during which approximately 1,200 individuals were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Hamas is reported to still be holding 57 hostages.
