Seven Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers have been killed in two recent incidents in northern Gaza, illustrating the continued challenges Israeli troops face from terrorist cells and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The IDF has been clearing the areas of Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun over the last three months. Operations recently shifted toward Beit Hanoun, where Israeli troops have encountered terrorists and booby traps.
Hamas and other terrorist groups began using booby traps and IEDs after the IDF’s initial assaults on Gaza in the ground campaign that followed Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The intensity of fighting reduced after terrorist groups took initial blows from several IDF divisions in late 2023 and early 2024. Subsequently, Hamas fighters sought to avoid contact with Israeli units and split into small groups, placing explosives in buildings and seeking other methods to continue attacks while hiding in rubble and civilian areas. These tactics also resulted from Hamas losing parts of its underground network of tunnels.
On January 8, the IDF said that three soldiers from the 401st Armored Brigade had been killed in northern Gaza when a tank from the 46th Battalion was struck by a detonated explosive device, according to reports. An officer in the same unit was severely injured in the incident. “The officer was evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and his family has been notified,” the IDF said.
Four days later, four soldiers were killed by an IED in Beit Hanoun. “According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers were hit by an explosive device set off by terror operatives, as well as gunfire in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun,” The Times of Israel reported. Three soldiers were from the Nahal Brigade, and one was a truck driver from the 14th Brigade. In addition, a reservist officer was severely injured.
Maintaining attacks is seen as important for Hamas. In a January 13 post published by Iran’s government-linked Tasnim News Agency, a Hamas spokesman claimed the IDF is suffering “humiliation.” The persistent conflict in northern Gaza, where the IDF has sent a division to root out remaining terror cells, is a symbolic battle for the group.
In Jabaliya, the IDF said it carried out a precision airstrike on a site that previously served as a school. The strike took place on January 11. Terrorists were using the former school as a command-and-control center, the IDF said, a common Hamas practice in dozens of sites across Gaza over the last year. “Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of aerial surveillance, additional intelligence, and precise munitions,” the IDF said.
The IDF’s Givati Brigade continues operations in Jabliya, a battle that has persisted since early October. It is one of the longest battles in a single neighborhood the IDF has conducted since the war began. The IDF has faced other multi-month battles in Khan Younis and Rafah; however, those operations took place over a larger area and moved from neighborhood to neighborhood over time.
In Beit Hanoun, a Gaza neighborhood close to the Israeli border, the IDF’s Nahal Brigade continued operations. “The brigade’s troops are engaging in close-quarters combat, conducting searches, and dismantling terror infrastructure. During operations, weapons including explosives, RPG launchers, and firearms, as well as ammunition, were located,” the IDF said. “In recent days, IDF soldiers have been involved in intense combat in which commanders and soldiers fell in action in the Beit Hanoun area. The IDF extends its condolences to the bereaved families and will continue to accompany them,” the IDF added.
The IDF’s Kfir Brigade has ended its operations in northern Gaza and is leaving the area. It is one of the brigades that was sent to Gaza’s north to bolster the 162nd Division, which has led the battles in Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun. “During the mission, the [Kfir Brigade] troops eliminated numerous terrorists in airstrikes and close-quarters combat, some of whom participated in the October 7th massacre. They also located weapons, destroyed underground tunnel routes, and dismantled Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure,” the IDF said.
