Hamas Unleashes New Battlefield Tactics in Gaza, Escalating Close-Quarters War
Hamas has intensified its attacks in Gaza with direct ambushes and assaults on IDF rescue teams, increasing the threat to Israeli soldiers and switching up their warfare strategy. Despite IDF efforts to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure, the group’s evolving tactics and recruitment surge complicate Israel’s ongoing military operations.
Israeli forces have reported a significant shift in the operational tactics of Hamas, the designated terrorist organization, in the Gaza Strip, according to military radio broadcasts. Since the breakdown of a ceasefire in March 2025, Hamas operatives have abandoned their reliance on remotely detonated explosives, instead emerging from tunnels and ruins to engage IDF troops in direct confrontations and carefully orchestrated ambushes. A senior IDF officer described the situation, stating, “For them, this is a decisive moment: Now or never,” underscoring the group’s heightened aggression in its ongoing fight against Israel.
Hamas has adopted a disturbing new strategy, continuing attacks after initial firefights and targeting IDF rescue teams to maximize casualties and film the assaults from multiple angles for propaganda purposes. Despite these bold tactics, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remain the primary threat, responsible for over 70% of IDF casualties in recent operations. Of the 38 soldiers killed since March, 27 were victims of IEDs, with 19 in roadside ambushes and six in booby-trapped buildings. The July 6, 2025, ambush in Beit Hanoun, which claimed five Netzah Yehuda Battalion soldiers and injured 14, involved twin IEDs followed by gunfire on evacuation teams, highlighting the group’s coordinated approach.
The IDF’s Operation Gideon’s Chariots, launched May 16, 2025, aims to dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure and secure 75% of Gaza, but the terrorist group’s “Stones of David” counteroffensive has intensified resistance. By June 2025, the IDF controlled 57% of the territory, yet Hamas has recruited 4,000 fighters since January, bolstering its ranks. Social media posts express alarm, with one user noting, “Hamas has decoded the Israeli army’s movements, targeting soldiers like ducks in a shooting range.” The conflict, reignited by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251, continues to challenge IDF efforts as Hamas adapts its tactics to prolong the fight.