Inside the IDF’s Tunnel War: Beit Hanoun Operation Uncovers Hamas Siege Pits

Yesterday, the IDF’s Givati Brigade, under the 162nd Division, intensified operations in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, targeting Hamas’s fortified infrastructure, including tunnels and tactical fighting pits stocked with food and ammunition for prolonged sieges. These “shuhadas,” designed for weeks of combat near the Israeli border, were uncovered alongside terror tunnels, which IDF forces, including the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, destroyed in a combined assault. The operation follows a deadly ambush on July 7, where five soldiers from the Northern Brigade and Netzah Yehuda Battalion were killed by Hamas’s roadside bombs and gunfire, highlighting the group’s evolving tactics. “Hamas exploits the extensive destruction to its advantage, installing firing slits in rubble piles, so our forces are far more vigilant,” Givati commanders noted, emphasizing systematic operations to minimize losses in this “dirty” combat zone.

Commanders face critical dilemmas: rushing to rescue wounded soldiers risks falling into Hamas’s deadly traps, as seen in a recent Khan Younis incident where abduction was narrowly averted, while waiting to secure the area delays aid. “There’s no 100% in these decisions, so we place our most experienced commanders at the forefront,” Givati officers explained. “Every incident is a matter of minutes, Hamas’s hit-and-run tactics exploit our weaknesses.” Hamas’s use of surveillance cameras and deeply buried explosives complicates detection, even with Oketz unit dogs and drones, as prior bombardments scatter unexploded ordnance. On July 11, three separate incidents wounded soldiers: one moderately in Khan Younis from an explosive, three lightly to moderately in Zeitoun from clashes with terrorists, and another moderately from small-arms fire in Zeitoun.

The IDF warns that Hamas may exploit a potential 60-day ceasefire, discussed in Doha, to launch a “recovery war” against Gaza clans armed by Israel, such as the Abu Shabab clan, to reassert control. “Hamas’s main nuisance is the growing power of these clans, and what we’ll see during a ceasefire could be more brutal than before,” security officials cautioned. Despite IDF evacuation warnings, many Gazans in neighborhoods like Sabra and Zeitoun refuse to move south, complicating operations. Posts on X reflect frustration, with one user stating, “Beit Hanoun is a ghost town of ruins, yet Hamas still ambushes from tunnels.” Since Operation Swords of Iron began, 888 IDF soldiers have died, 446 in Gaza’s ground campaign, underscoring the high stakes.