IDF Dismantles Terrorist Infrastructure in Khan Younis

Latest Developments

Israeli troops have killed dozens of terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure during intense battles on the outskirts of the Deir al-Balah neighborhood of Khan Younis, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on August 23. The Israeli air force also destroyed weapons depots and rocket launching positions one day after the IDF ordered evacuations from multiple neighborhoods in the southern Gazan city to protect civilians. On August 22, the IDF said on X that its 98th Division deepened its activities “in the Khan Younis region and the outskirts of Deir al-Balah following accurate intelligence on the presence of terrorist infrastructure and Hamas terrorists in the region.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Gaza-Egypt border on August 21, announcing that the IDF’s 162nd Division had defeated Hamas’s Rafah brigade, which contained the Iran-backed terrorist group’s last four functioning battalions. On August 22, the IDF said that its troops killed 50 terrorists over the past day of operations in Rafah and destroyed terrorist structures in Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan area.

Expert Analysis

“Hamas continues to threaten Israel from central Gaza, including areas such as Deir Al Balah. It is essential that Hamas terror infrastructure be removed and uprooted from these key areas of central Gaza. For years, Hamas has exploited civilian areas in central Gaza to build a terror empire that was used on October 7 to massacre Israelis.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“While many of Hamas’s brigades have been dismantled or significantly weakened, there are areas of terrorist activity that have emerged where the IDF has either previously operated or left untouched. The Israeli military must maintain pressure on these groups, as Hamas and its allies have access to a considerable pool of potential recruits within the Palestinian population. This demographic could be leveraged to rebuild the forces lost to Israeli operations.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Possible Location of Hostages and Hostage Bodies

According to Israel’s Now 14 news outlet, the areas where the evacuation orders were announced “are the only areas within the Gaza Strip in which the IDF has not yet operated,” apart from surgical strikes. The outlet added that “there were indications that a number of abductees, living and dead, were transferred” to the areas. On August 19, the IDF recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages during an overnight operation in Khan Younis.

U.S. Fears Over Rafah Operation Did Not Materialize

Despite President Joe Biden’s warnings against a Rafah operation, Israeli forces began ground operations on the outskirts of the city — located on the Gaza-Egypt border — on May 7, after calling for residents to evacuate. Despite predictions from U.S. officials that evacuating the approximately 1.3 million civilians living in Rafah would take up to four months, nearly 900,000 Gazans evacuated in approximately two weeks. A senior U.S. official later said that Israel’s Rafah operation did not cross the administration’s “red lines” and was being conducted in a more precise manner that would ensure limited civilian casualties.

Related Analysis

“IDF Recovers Remains of Six Hostages in Khan Younis Operation,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas, PIJ Threaten Resumption of Suicide Bombings,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Forces Raze 50 Terror Tunnels in Southern Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Strikes Rocket-Launching Post in Gaza Used by Hamas to Attack Tel Aviv,” FDD Flash Brief