When the IDF decided to return to Jabalya in early May, they faced a known challenge. Jabalya is a dense urban area northeast of Gaza city center. It includes a refugee camp that is a crucial center for Hamas members.
The suburbs of Jabalya spill out over low hills and can be seen from Israeli communities such as Mefalsim and Kfar Aza near the border. Terrorists came from Jabalya to attack Israel on October 7.
Jabalya had supposedly been cleared of terrorists back in December during the first phase of operations in Gaza that stretched from October 27 to January. However, it turns out that there were areas the IDF didn’t reach, and Hamas has returned to areas Jabalya . Many civilians also returned, and Hamas mixed with them.
The IDF’s 98th Division has been operating in Jabalya for around ten days. This is the same division that cleared Khan Younis of terrorists on May 21. Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi went to Jabalya to meet with the commander of the 98th, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus, to conduct a situational assessment. This puts a spotlight on the importance of this mission. The 98th division has brought the skills learned in Khan Yunis to Jabalya .
This is important because Khan Yunis was an example of the IDF’s new way of fighting in Gaza after the transition to a slightly less intense form of combat after the initial operations in November 2023. What this means is more precision raids and an understanding of the need to clear Hamas from areas underground and aboveground. Goldfus has characterized this type of fighting as a “720 degrees” war, where you fight above and below ground. The 98th is operating in Jabalya with the 7th Armored Brigade, the 460th Armored Brigade, paratroopers, and other units.
The 98th division left Khan Yunis in early April and was sent to Jabalya basically a month later. This is symbolic of the IDF tactic in Gaza of clearing areas but not remaining in them. The tactic has been critiqued because it lets Hamas return. However, leaving IDF soldiers to control civilian areas is not currently seen as an ideal use of soldiers and is likely to result in them being sniped at by enemies, and they could lose their fighting effectiveness.
What has been learned in Jabalya ? There were areas the IDF never reached in November and December. This is not only true of Jabalya ; it’s true of other areas of northern Gaza. The initial phase of the war concentrated on defeating a dozen Hamas battalions in northern Gaza. Once these fighting formations, of a thousand men each, were degraded, the IDF believed it had control and reduced forces. However, Hamas remained. Some areas never saw IDF tank treads roll over them. Tunnels remained. While Hamas commanders were eliminated, they were also replaced. The infrastructure of Hamas is intact above and below ground.
The goal of the 98th is to complete the job basically. It’s like sandpaper on wood. You start with a rough grade, and you have to grind the enemy down with a more precise grade at the end. Using intelligence and through detaining suspected terrorists, the IDF is working to uproot the terrorists systematically. The bodies of four hostages, Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, Itzik Gelenter, and Ron Binyamin, were found in the recent operations in Jabalya .
The fighting continues every day, with between ten and twenty terrorists eliminated each day. In the first ten days, around 200 terrorists were killed. It turned out that Hamas was still intact in parts of Jabalya . In Khan Yunis, the 98th division found that the terrorists had dispersed quickly, so they were confronting small terrorist cells of 2-5 terrorists. In Jabalya , the enemy is still organized. Defeating the enemy is not just about eliminating individuals but breaking their will and ability to fight.
IDF repetition is effective
The repetition the IDF is doing in Gaza, going into an area and clearing it, leaving it, and clearing it again, is having an affect. For instance, in the beginning, when the IDF went into areas like Jabalya , it required more forces than it does today. This is because, although the enemy returns, they return in less strength.
In some ways, this is designed to reduce Hamas to the way terrorists behave in places like Jenin or Tulkarm in the West Bank. The terrorists are still there, but they have fewer weapons and less strength and capabilities. In essence, if 10-20 terrorists are eliminated every day in a place like Jabalya , there is attrition. The enemy can’t recruit 10-20 a day in Jabalya . The IDF doesn’t distinguish between the terrorist groups it is fighting. When it estimates that it eliminated around 20,000 terrorists in Gaza, for instance, it doesn’t estimate which are Hamas and which are Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, the terrorists do distinguish, and Hamas has told pro-Iranian media that it is working more closely with other terror groups in northern Gaza, likely because Hamas has taken such heavy losses.
The IDF is learning from seven months of war. Officers at the company and battalion levels are gaining unique skills from their experience in Khan Yunis Jabalya and other areas. Troops are learning how to recognize areas where there might be improvised explosive devices (IEDs), for instance. They also learn to sense where tunnel shaft entrances may be located. The ability to find the underground terrorist city that exists is important for clearing out the infrastructure. If you just clear above ground, the enemy goes underground and returns.
As the commanders of platoons and companies become more sensitive to threats and understand the terrain, the need for precision firepower is more important. The IDF continues to carry out airstrikes in Gaza, some 70-80 a day in recent days, but in Jabalya there is less need for heavy airstrikes and that means reducing damage to civilian areas. It also means close coordination between the units on the ground and the air and naval forces that provide precision firepower.
As in Khan Yunis, the IDF continues to find weapons in many civilian homes. Hamas festooned civilian areas with terrorist infrastructure, such as entrances to tunnels, placing observation posts in buildings, or hiding ammunition so their fighters could easily grab it on the go. Almost every house has been used by terrorists in some form or another.
The IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza believe they will defeat Hamas over the long run. They are focused on that mission and on bringing the hostages home. They are also focused on reducing collateral damage to civilian areas and using the latest technology to evaluate targets to minimize the damage. They have also helped Gazan civilians they came across. Most civilians left the areas on May 11 when the IDF told them to evacuate.
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