IDF intensifies operations in Beit Hanoun, honors slain soldiers

The IDF’s Nahal Brigade continues operations in northeastern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun area, engaging in close-quarters combat, dismantling Hamas terror infrastructure, and locating weapons such as explosives, RPG launchers and firearms.

The brigade has also attacked booby-trapped buildings and weapons storage sites guided by its Fire Control Center, the army updated on Sunday.

Recent intense combat has resulted in the death of soldiers, with the IDF expressing condolences to the bereaved families and vowing to continue its mission in their memory.

“We will continue to fight in the spirit and in memory of the fallen,” the commanding officer of the Nahal Brigade said.

Four IDF soldiers were killed and six others were wounded on Saturday. According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were struck by an explosive in Beit Hanoun.

The Israeli Air Force intercepted a rocket that was fired from the Gaza Strip’s south toward the Jewish state on Saturday morning, the military said.

Red alert air-raid sirens blared in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom, located near the intersection of the Gaza Strip and Egypt borders. No injuries or damage to property were reported.

Meanwhile in the Jabalia area in the northern Strip, IDF troops killed three terrorists, the military said.

Infantry forces of the 84th “Givati” Brigade identified terrorists who planned to ambush Israeli troops from a nearby building. Using a drone, the military spotted an underground pit inside the building through which the terrorists apparently came out. The IDF opened fire on two terrorists, and after a targeted ambush, the Givati fighters killed the third one, the IDF said.

In addition, Israeli Air Force craft targeted Hamas terrorists operating in a school in Jabalia.

The school was turned into a command center for Hamas gunmen “to carry out terror attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel,” according to the military.

Before the airstrike, “many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including the use of precision weaponry, aerial observation and additional intelligence means,” the IDF added.

On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to urgently develop a plan for a decisive victory over Hamas in Gaza if a hostage deal is not reached by Jan. 20.

“If the hostage deal does not materialize by the time President Trump takes office, Hamas in Gaza must face complete defeat,” Katz said in a release issued by his office.

The statement emphasized that Israel must avoid being drawn into a prolonged war of attrition, which would be costly and fail to deliver a strategic victory or end the conflict in Gaza. Katz called for a plan ensuring Hamas’s total defeat, which the IDF is expected to present during upcoming security assessments.