Battle of Khan Yunis (2025)
| Battle of Khan Yunis (2025) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Gideon's Chariots during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip in the Gaza war | |||||||
Gaza Strip under Hamas control
Gaza Strip under Israeli control
Furthest Israeli advance in the Gaza Strip | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Israel Popular Forces |
Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Yaniv Asor Moran Omer Guy Levy Yasser Abu Shabab | Izz al-Din al-Haddad | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| |||||||
The Battle of Khan Yunis is a major military engagement that began on 26 May 2025 as part of the broader Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip launched in May 2025, known as Operation Gideon's Chariots, during the ongoing Gaza war. It marks the fourth time Israel has invaded Khan Yunis since the beginning of the war.
Following weeks of operations in Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a renewed incursion into Khan Yunis.[1][3] The operation is targeting remaining Hamas fighters, positions, infrastructure, and tunnel networks in the city.[4]
Background
The IDF previously invaded Khan Yunis in December 2023, with the resulting battle and siege lasting untl April 2024. Two later Israeli incursions into the city took place in July and in August 2024.
In May 2025, Israel launched Operation Gideon's Chariots, a renewed campaign focused on eliminating remaining Hamas forces in Gaza.
Battle
May
On 26 May 2025, the IDF initiated a renewed ground offensive into Khan Yunis as part of Operation Gideon's Chariots, following intense airstrikes across Southern Gaza.[1]
On 29 May, Israeli combat engineers completed a major operation to neutralize a Hamas tunnel network on the outskirts of Khan Yunis. According to an official IDF report, troops located and dismantled a lengthy "offensive" underground terror tunnel stretching several hundred meters.[5]
On 30 May, the IDF announced that the Kfir Brigade, under the command of the 36th Division, were joining the operation in Khan Yunis.[6]
June
On 6 June, Palestinian militants killed five Israeli soldiers in an ambush east of Khan Yunis, that involved a building rigged with an explosive which collapsed and killed the soldiers.[7]
On 12 June, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reported that a bus carrying about two dozen Palestinian GHF workers was attacked by Hamas while on its way to a distribution center near Khan Yunis. The attack killed at least eight people and caused multiple injuries.[8] Hamas said that the aid workers were in reality members of the Popular Forces.[9]
On 24 June, seven Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Yunis were killed by an explosive device, thought to have been planted by Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades.[10]
On 27 June, Popular Forces militants reportedly seized control of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis after a gunbattle with Hamas forces.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Fabian, Emmanuel (26 May 2025). "IDF division completes Rafah operations, pushes into Khan Younis in new offensive". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (17 June 2025). "Second soldier killed in Gaza explosive attack in two days, IDF says". Ynetnews. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ JNS Staff (27 May 2025). "IDF steps up Gaza offensive under Operation 'Gideon's Chariots'". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Bar, Neta (7 June 2025). "The tunnel war: IDF dismantles Hamas' underground empire". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "IDF Combat Engineers Dismantle an Offensive Underground Tunnel". Israel Defense Forces. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Troops of the Kfir Brigade Operating in the Khan Yunis Area". Israel Defense Forces. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ The New Arab Staff. "Israel bombs Gaza, five Israeli troops killed in ambush". The New Arab. Archived from the original on 7 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says 8 aid workers killed in attack". Al Jazeera. 12 June 2025. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Hamas says it killed 12 Israeli-backed fighters. Israeli-supported group says they were aid workers". PBS News. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Rasgon, Adam (25 June 2025). "7 Israeli Soldiers Killed in Gaza, Military Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Members of Abu Shabab have taken control of Nasser Hospital | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.