Following the intensified fighting in Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, which resulted in the death of 10 Israeli soldiers, the IDF has decided to transfer responsibility for the area from the 143rd “Gaza” Division to the 162nd Division, currently engaged in operations in the neighboring town of Jabaliya.
Senior military officials acknowledged errors in the initial division of sectors within the Gaza Strip, where the division was tasked with handling Beit Hanoun alongside the buffer zone along the border, Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor. The 162nd Division will receive reinforcements to concentrate efforts against Hamas' Beit Hanoun Battalion.
Footage of IDF forces in Beit Hanoun
(Video: IDF)
The battalion, previously regarded as one of the weaker units within the terror organization, was easily overrun by the 162nd Division at the start of the war and later by the 252nd Reserve Division.
However, the battalion's operatives have since adapted, now engaging in guerrilla warfare that has claimed the lives of 10 IDF soldiers since the 143rd Division launched a brigade-level operation to clear the town in the past two weeks.
This comes while the IDF is stretched thin, operating simultaneously in Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, the Jordanian border and Gaza. All fronts are active, with forces operating beyond the border fences in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
The military urgently requires additional standing forces and is currently calling up approximately 70,000 more reservists, though this remains insufficient given the extensive challenges.
Over the weekend, the IDF reported four Nahal Brigade soldiers were killed by a powerful explosive device while traveling along a road in Beit Hanoun that was supposed to be fully cleared and secured.
According to an initial investigation, a Hamas terrorist cell took advantage of stormy weather last week to plant an explosive alongside a military logistics route in Beit Hanoun. Such routes are typically secured early in large-scale operations, serving as logistical pathways once cleared of enemy presence and under constant security.
Although the route was deemed secure, the terrorists managed to emerge unnoticed—possibly from a previously undiscovered tunnel—plant the device and remotely detonate it. A day earlier, eight soldiers were injured in various degrees in an explosion in Jabaliya.
Troops in Beit Hanoun have uncovered over 30 explosive devices over the last two weeks. However, when devices go undetected, as in recent incidents, the toll has been devastating. The explosive detonated on Saturday was standard-issue and linked to Hamas.
In another severe incident last week, where three soldiers were killed in another blast, the explosive is believed to have contained unexploded IDF ordnance found by terrorists, a recurring concern.
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The remaining terrorists are also turning the rubble of destroyed buildings to their advantage. Exploiting the extensive destruction and the assumption by forces that bombed or demolished buildings are free of enemy presence, they use the ruins as cover to advance and launch attacks.
Forces in Beit Hanoun are now required to learn from each incident, advancing more cautiously and meticulously searching for signs of hidden explosives during their offensives.