Israel Defense Forces soldiers serving in Beit Hanoun in northeastern Gaza discovered a tractor there that terrorists had stolen during the massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Hebrew media reported on Monday.
The agricultural vehicle was found during the weekend, 21 months after Hamas-led terrorists took it from the border community of Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the cross-border assault, according to Channel 14 News.
“We are on an important mission today—we are returning to the Gaza Envelope [border region] one of the tractors that were stolen from there,” a soldier explains in a video obtained by the broadcaster.
שנה ו-9 חודשים נפרוץ המלחמה, כוחותינו איתרו רכב חקלאי שנגנב מעוטף עזה במהלך טבח השבעה באוקטובר, ויפעלו להשיב אותו בקרוב.
— הלל ביטון רוזן | Hallel Bitton Rosen (@BittonRosen) July 21, 2025
אותו טרקטור קטן אותר במהלך פעילות בצפון הרצועה על ידי לוחמי גבעתי. pic.twitter.com/s3kYOmnkA0
Kfar Aza, located some three miles from the Gaza Strip, was among the hardest hit communities on Oct. 7, with 62 residents murdered and 19 taken hostage, some of whom remain there after 654 days.
The IDF is continuing to press ahead with its ground operations across Gaza as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” a campaign with the stated goal of dismantling Hamas’s remaining military capabilities, taking control of key areas in Gaza and securing the release of 50 remaining hostages.
On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted a field tour and situational assessment in the coastal enclave, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, head of the IDF Southern Command, and top officers.
“You are operating with courage in a war that is as just as can be,” Zamir told troops in Shejaiya in the northern Strip. “Our objectives, and your achievements, will lead to a lasting security shift for years to come.”
The chief of staff also emphasized that the progress made as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” continues to drive Hamas terrorists closer to defeat and may open the door to a potential hostage deal.
