IDF destroys more Hamas tunnels, prepares for future Gaza operations

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on November 16 that the Israeli military continues to destroy Hamas tunnels in Gaza. This effort is taking place in the approximately 50 percent of the territory that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) still controls in the wake of the October 13 ceasefire. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited the Gaza Strip on November 16 and said the IDF had to be prepared to transition back to military operations “if required.”

The comments by Israel’s military leadership occurred as three deceased hostages remain held in Gaza. Hamas was supposed to turn over all 48 hostages, living and dead, that were held prior to October 13. The group released 20 living hostages on October 13 and then continued to hand over the remains of deceased hostages over the past month. The last hostage Hamas transferred was on November 13. The  IDF said that it had completed an identification process and informed “the family of Meny (Menachem) Godard that his body has been returned for burial.”

When Zamir visited IDF troops in Gaza on November 16, he met with the head of Southern Command, Major General Yaniv Asor, the commander of the Gaza Division, Brigadier General Barak Hiram, and the commander of the 252^nd Division, Brigadier General Yehuda Vach. The goal of Zamir’s visit was to review the current “operational picture” in Gaza and maintain “readiness for a rapid shift and transition to offensive activities.”

Zamir noted during his visit that the IDF still controls slightly more than 50 percent of Gaza, an area now defined by “the Yellow Line” that separates IDF control from Gaza regions that appear to have returned to Hamas’s control. For instance, reports said on November 14 that Hamas had reinstated taxes on goods entering parts of the territory.

“The Yellow Line serves as a security line, and we continue operating to prevent Hamas’ resurgence by holding key areas as well as the entrances to the Gaza Strip,” Zamir said. In addition, he noted that the IDF continues to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the territory. “We will continue to insist that the Hamas regime will not exist on the other side of the border. Even if this requires time—we will persist in the mission of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, achieving this either through an agreement or through military means,” Zamir added.

Israel’s defense minister also said on November 16 that the IDF continued to “destroy Hamas’ terror tunnels.” Katz stated that the IDF was using various methods to accomplish this task, including blowing up the underground passageways and sealing them with concrete. “The US-led multinational force is supposed to handle the demobilization and disarmament of Hamas” in the rest of Gaza, Katz noted. He added that Israel’s policy is that there will be no Palestinian state, and that “Gaza will be demobilized down to the last tunnel.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made similar comments on November 16, saying that Hamas will be disarmed.

The comments by Israeli political leaders and defense officials came as the US continued pressing the UN Security Council to pass a resolution backing a stabilization force for Gaza. The force was outlined as part of the ceasefire plan agreed to in Egypt in early October. The Times of Israel noted that the “United States is considering moving ahead with rebuilding parts of Gaza even as the terror group retains its weapons.”

The IDF continues to face threats in the territory. On November 13, Israeli troops killed four men, including several gunmen, in a clash in Rafah within an area inside the Yellow Line. The next day, another armed man was eliminated, and more clashes took place on November 16 and 17, according to the Israeli military.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).