The Israel Defense Forces, in cooperation with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), carried out a targeted strike overnight Monday on approximately 40 Hamas engineering vehicles in the Gaza Strip.
According to military officials, the vehicles were used in terror-related activities, including during the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel.
The vehicles were reportedly instrumental in breaching border barriers, planting explosives and facilitating the movement of armed terrorists into Israeli territory. Hamas’s engineering division also used the equipment to construct makeshift bridges and clear rubble to uncover hidden weaponry.
According to the IDF, many of the vehicles targeted were used by Hamas to enable dozens of border infiltrations on Oct. 7. During the massacre, Hamas terrorists launched a large-scale invasion, killing over 1,200 people and abducting 251. Some of the equipment targeted had been used to bypass Israel’s defensive obstacles and deliver operatives deep into Israeli communities.
The attack is part of Israel’s broader campaign to dismantle Hamas’s terror infrastructure following the Oct. 7 atrocities. As of late March, Israeli forces had already destroyed more than 100 Hamas pickup trucks used for transporting fighters and weapons, according to earlier IDF and Shin Bet reports.
The IDF stated that these engineering assets are a critical component of Hamas’s operational capabilities, and that eliminating them is essential to prevent future attacks.
“Israel will continue to act against terrorist elements in the Gaza Strip in order to neutralize any threat to the citizens of Israel,” the IDF said.