IDF Destroys 10 Hamas Tunnels, Kills Dozens of Militants in Southern Gaza Operations

The IDF's Brigade 188 Combat Team, under the Gaza Division command, has concluded eight months of operations in southern Gaza focused on defending and clearing the Yellow Line area from terrorist infrastructure. The team includes the 74th Armored Battalion, the 605th Engineering Battalion, and the 51st Golani Brigade Battalion. During this period, the forces eliminated dozens of militants who violated the ceasefire by crossing the Yellow Line and posing threats to Israeli troops. Among those killed were Hamas commanders and several militants involved in the October funeral massacre.

In cooperation with the Yahalom unit, the combat team destroyed over ten Hamas tunnels, including one tunnel system used to hold hostages during the recent war. Additional weapons caches were found and destroyed, including rockets, rocket launchers, grenades, Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, explosives, and other combat equipment.

As part of the defensive effort, engineering forces constructed a new obstacle along the Yellow Line near the Central Camps area, consisting of a five-kilometer-long trench that serves as an additional protective layer for western Negev communities. Systematic drilling was conducted along the Yellow Line at close intervals to locate and neutralize underground terrorist infrastructure.

The forces established the "Magen Oz" route as the main operational axis in southern Gaza and set up four new outposts to strengthen defense, improve operational control, and optimize conditions for both defensive and offensive missions.