Report: IDF ‘Encircling’ Gaza City Ahead of ‘Major Offensive’ Against Hamas Stronghold
“The IDF has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City.”
With the Islamic terror group Hamas still refusing to negotiate the release of all hostages, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has begun encircling Gaza City ahead of an anticipated offensive to capture the terrorist stronghold.
“The IDF has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City,” Israel’s Ynetnews reported Thursday. The military was “encircling Gaza City in preparation” for a “major offensive,” the news website noted.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet endorsed a plan to widen the military campaign against Hamas and take over the terrorist stronghold.
Gaza City is home to Hamas’s most combat-ready terrorist forces, and out of 20 Israeli hostages still believed to be alive, many are being held in that area, Israeli analysts say.
The Jerusalem Post noted on Thursday that “Gaza City remains Hamas’s most strategic asset yet to [be] conquer[ed].” with “[m]any of the surviving hostages are believed to be held there.”
With the IDF now in control of nearly 75 percent of the enclave, Hamas’ remaining terrorist leadership and fighting force have regrouped themselves in Gaza City. “Gaza City is Hamas’ main military and governing stronghold and Israeli troops will be targeting the militant group’s vast underground tunnel network,” Euronews reported, quoting an Israeli official. “Although Israel has targeted and killed much of Hamas’ senior leadership, parts of it are actively regrouping and carrying out attacks, including launching rockets towards Israel,” the French TV channel added.
The city’s underground network of terror tunnels poses a formidable challenge to the advancing Israeli ground troops. “Military officials assess that Gaza City still contains large and strategically important subterranean systems that were not exposed during the first ground maneuver there a year and a half ago, and that underground warfare will pose an even greater challenge if troops reenter the city,” Ynetnews reported.
The IDF is calling up more reservists as the war against Hamas intensifies. “As part of the preparations for the next phase of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’, approximately 60,000 reserve orders were issued this morning, the military said in a statement. “In addition, 20,000 reservists who have already been called up will receive a notice extending their current orders.”
While Hamas continues to use Gaza residents as human shields, the Israeli military is undertaking measures to evacuate them from the combat zone safely, the Israel National News/Arutz Sheva reported Thursday:
As part of the IDF’s preparations for evacuating the population southern from Gaza City for its safety, officers from the IDF Gaza District Coordination and Liaison in COGAT carried out initial warning calls two days ago (Tuesday) to medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip in order to prepare for the evacuation of the population to the southern Gaza Strip.
The officers emphasized to the medical officials that adjustments are being made to the hospital infrastructure in the south of the Strip to receive the sick and wounded, alongside an increased entry of necessary medical equipment according to the requests of the international aid organizations.
NEW 🔴
The Israeli military has issued initial warnings to medical authorities and international organizations in northern Gaza, signaling preparations for a planned offensive in Gaza City.
As part of these efforts, COGAT's Coordination and Liaison Administration to Gaza…
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 21, 2025
Since the IDF launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots on March 18, 2025, it has taken control over 75 percent of Gaza, holding strategic positions and restricting Hamas’ operational abilities.
“During Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’, IDF troops under the Southern Command achieved operational control over about 75% of the Gaza Strip,” the military announced Thursday. “This operational control enabled the IDF to significantly expand its activities, thereby striking Hamas’ capabilities and terrorist infrastructure as well as undermining its chain of command.”
⭕️Since the renewal of ground operations IDF troops have achieved in Gaza:
▪️Operational control of over ~75% of Gaza, striking Hamas’ capabilities and terrorist infrastructure, degrading its chain of command, and allowing the IDF to expand operations.
❌Elimination of about… pic.twitter.com/2pH3LqjAcz— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 20, 2025
The IDF revealed that nearly 2,000 terrorists have been eliminated in the past five months, including Hamas terror chief Mohammad Sinwar, several of his top terror commanders, and those who committed atrocities on October 7, 2023.
“In addition, senior Hamas officials were eliminated – commanders in the General Security Apparatus, six senior commanders in the terrorist organization’s naval commando unit, dozens of terrorists who infiltrated Israeli territory and took part in the October 7th massacre, and hundreds of additional terrorists and military commanders from the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” tbe IDF statement added.
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Comments
The map shown suggests Israel controls 50% of Gaza, not 75% as claimed. Is there something I’m missing?
then go after the hamas strongholds in america
DRONES!!!!!
use them to root out the tricky lefty
Just give a week for civilians to leave and then level it – every damn brick. then build some fires in the tunnels and smoke out whatever terrorists are left.
It needs to be done – finished.
Take over all of Gaza. Crush Hamas. Begin the distribution of food, supplies, medical help, and, in general, the restoration of some semblance of civilization. Reconstruction can begin with the participation of honest, capitalist corporations; no NGOs, UN organizations, sympathetic Arab governments, foundations (certainly not the Clinton Foundation), other hangers on, and assorted criminal do-gooder organizations. The eastern Mediterranean, one of the most beautiful regions on the planet and not just Gaza, has been turned into a hell hole by these people. It’s time to fix the entire region once and for all.
Start now.
Yesterday I encountered something to the effect that Israel was negotiating with a third country to take all of the prisoners captured in Gaza. I assumed it was inclusive of civilians, as in the whole population. The third party? The Republic of South Sudan. One of the few places more scrod than Gaza. Let it be so.
Subotai Bahadur
I hope IDF has some good intelligence from sympathetic Gazans about how and where to find Hamas, weapons and hopefully hostages.
Go get em and good luck IDF
As part of the IDF’s preparations for evacuating the population southern from Gaza City for its safety, officers from the IDF Gaza District Coordination and Liaison in COGAT carried out initial warning calls two days ago (Tuesday) to medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip in order to prepare for the evacuation of the population to the southern Gaza Strip.
What state conducting genocide against an innocent population does this?
One of the Hamas principals is martyrdom for the cause, yet by invoking international diplomatic forces Hamas seems to be working to avoid the eventual outcome. Nevertheless I bid Hamas goodbye.
Netanyahu’s most recent statement is about negotiation for the release of the hostages and end of the war, he did not mention Hamas going into exile.
Israel’s catastrophic defeat may end the existence of Israel this time.
Media will continue to be agents of Hamas’ ministry of health with the result the war ending will not result in any change in western public opinion, and likely a hardening of opinion against the weak state that tried to do a genocide but was fortunately defeated.
If you know a Jew considering moving to Israel talk him or her out of it.
Both right and left in Israel seem to be agreed a miracle will happen to save Israel from pariah state status making removal of Hamas to end the Gaza hunger and do a REAL count of the war damage to end the slide of Israel into dead territory not a needed goal.
If Israel can it should and it should stop being routinely tricked by Hamas.
Kill the terrorists, blow the tunnels and salt the earth
When you tighten the net, take no prisoners. Kill every one of these vermin.