As the battle against Hezbollah continues on Israel’s northern front, the IDF is facing a critical juncture on another front: Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

IDF forces are increasing their presence within the Yellow Line area while continuing to clear terror infrastructure between the border and the Yellow Line. The IDF announced on Monday morning that it had completed the destruction of four Hamas tunnels in southern Gaza, including one that had been used to hold hostages.

At the same time, troops are constantly fending off attacks by Hamas terrorists who attempt to approach their outposts.

According to a Ynet report, one thing is clear: IDF forces are in Gaza to stay for the long term.

Ynet spoke with Southern Command officials who acknowledged that Hamas is attempting to rebuild as Israel’s attention is centered on Iran and Lebanon, but stressed that current IDF operations are forceful, sustained, and growing more effective with each passing day.

“Every threat is attacked, even if it is deep inside Gaza,” a senior military official said. “We have the tools we need from the Air Force and Military Intelligence. More can always be done, but wherever there are threats, we act.”

“We take into account that Hamas sees what is happening with FPV (first-person-view) drones in the north and likely wants to obtain similar capabilities, though we have not identified anything like that here so far,” the official said,

“At the same time, our hold on the ground is significantly more effective now. We aren’t stuck in positions. We initiate raids and attacks deep inside Gaza. Can they attack us? Certainly. That is a major concern, but we are moving and maintaining mobility at all times.”

The IDF is focusing on the elimination of “field ranks,” the terrorists who carry out attacks on the ground.

“There are numerous targeted killings of terrorists, the ones who actually carry out terrorist activity,” a security official said. “In many cases, those operations are far more effective than eliminating a well-known senior figure who mainly appears in photos. Effective counterterror operations come from the combination of all these efforts.”

Troops stationed along the Yellow Line say morale is high. Their positions enable extensive fire and observation control deep inside Gaza, providing a far stronger launch point for any future confrontation.

“We are at Gaza’s gates, ready for whatever is required of us,” the security official said.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)