In a deployment type that has become routine, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moved the 5th Brigade, a reserve infantry unit, into the Netzarim Corridor, the IDF said on September 16. It’s part of a process of rotating reserve infantry and armored units into and out of the area south of Gaza City that the IDF has patrolled and secured since November 2023. The new deployment is an example of how the IDF now conducts operations in Gaza as Israel faces increasing tensions on other fronts.
The IDF said on September 16 that the brigade had been sent back to central Gaza after serving there earlier in the war. The 5th Infantry Reserve Brigade will serve under the 252nd Division, the main unit controlling the Netzarim Corridor. The corridor, south of Gaza City, cuts off northern Gaza from central Gaza. Hamas has a significant presence in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, Deir al-Balah, Maghazi, and Bureij areas, all of which contain historic refugee camps. Hamas also continues to have a presence in northern Gaza.
According to the IDF, the 5th Infantry Reserve Brigade had been conducting training exercises at a training center near Tze’elim Training Base in southern Israel. This ground forces training center includes mock villages that soldiers can patrol and secure. “The forces carried out training and exercises in warfare in open and built-up areas and raised their operational competence in preparation for their mission in the center of the Gaza Strip. In addition, the forces completed logistical preparation and held mobility, supply and immediate medical response training in preparation for the fighting,” the IDF said.
The unit and its members have experience in Gaza. They participated in a number of early operations in the war, clearing areas in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza in November and also operating in Khirbet Ikhza, near Khan Younis. They also participated in battles in Shati in northern Gaza in February. Thus, the 5th Infantry Reserve Brigade is familiar with the types of operations required to secure the Netzarim Corridor and deal with urban environments.
Currently, the IDF primarily faces a low-intensity conflict in Gaza against terrorists who rarely appear in large numbers and prefer to carry out sniper attacks. An IDF soldier from the Givati Brigade serving in southern Gaza was severely wounded, the IDF said on September 17. In general, all casualties in Gaza have significantly reduced from those during more intense fighting several months ago and earlier in the war.
An exception is IDF airstrikes targeting various targets of opportunity in Gaza. On September 16, the IDF targeted the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket and missile unit in the Rafah area. The IDF said that Ahmed Aish Salame al-Hashash was “responsible for the Islamic Jihad’s rocket attacks in the Rafah Brigade and was an important source of knowledge of rocket fire within the Islamic Jihad terror organization in Gaza. During the war, al-Hashash was responsible for firing rockets from inside the Humanitarian Area toward Israeli civilians.” It is one of numerous recent airstrikes targeting commanders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Many of the strikes were conducted after the men attempted to hide in schools or humanitarian areas in Gaza.
The relatively low intensity of the current conflict in Gaza contrasts with the increasing escalation in northern Israel as Hezbollah attacks become more common. IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Herzi HaLevi held a situational assessment on the evening of September 17 after Lebanon and Hezbollah blamed Israel for setting off thousands of exploding pagers that targeted Hezbollah members on September 17.
“The IDF Spokesperson clarifies that at this time there is no change to the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. The public are asked to remain alert and vigilant, and any change in policy will be updated immediately,” the IDF stated.
