Back الخطة الإسرائيلية لاحتلال قطاع غزة 2025 Arabic Ionsaithe ar Gaza, Bealtaine 2025 Irish מבצע מרכבות גדעון HE Operação Carros de Gideão Portuguese Операция «Колесницы Гидеона» Russian Операція «Колісниці Гідеона» Ukrainian
| May 2025 Gaza offensive | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war | |||||||||
 Gaza Strip under Palestinian control
Gaza Strip under Israeli control
Furthest Israeli advance in Gaza Strip
Evacuated areas inside Israel
Maximum extent of the October 7 attacks Area of Gaza subject to Israeli evacuation orders See here for a more detailed map. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Israel |
 Hamas Palestinian Islamic Jihad Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Per Israel: 48 Israeli soldiers killed[1] |
400+ killed, 1,000+ injured[6] Per Israel: 1,500 militants killed[7] | ||||||||
On 4 May 2025, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to expand its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots (Hebrew: מבצע מרכבות גדעון), the offensive aimed to defeat Hamas, destroy its military and governing capabilities, and take control over three quarters of the Gaza Strip. The operation involved combined military force from land, air, and sea.[8][9] On 16 May, Israel announced the launch of the operation.[10][11] As of 4 July, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it controlled approximately 65% of the Gaza Strip, most of which was captured during this offensive[12] though this figure was disputed as being inaccurate and understating the control Hamas retains in Gaza.[13] The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the offensive as tantamount to ethnic cleansing.[14]
Hamas responded with a counter-offensive that it calls Stones of David, consisting of a series of ambushes and small-scale military operations against the IDF.[15][16]
On 4 August, Israeli sources reported the offensive had ended, without having achieved key Israeli aims, while the main territorial objective of capturing 75% of the Strip had been achieved.[1][2][3]
- ^ a b c "Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' comes to a close, with promised goals unfulfilled". The Times of Israel. 4 August 2025. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Chief of the General Staff in Gaza: "If there is a deal to release the hostages – it will be made possible first and foremost thanks to your fighting"". Israel Defense Forces. IDF. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Frantzman, Seth J. (29 July 2025). "How many men has Hamas continued to recruit in a year? – analysis". The Jerusalem Post. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CNN20250519was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Eichner, Itamar; Zitun, Yoav (5 May 2025). "Security Official: New Operation Named 'Gideon's Chariots'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "Israel cabinet approves plan to 'capture' Gaza - official". BBC News. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ^ "Israel launches major offensive as Gaza rescuers say scores killed". BBC News. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Mohammed Tawfeeq; Jeremy Diamond; Ibrahim Dahman; Eyad Kourdi (16 May 2025). "Israeli military says it has launched major new offensive in Gaza, same day Trump leaves region with no deal". CNN. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "July 4: IDF says it holds 'operational control' over roughly 65% of Gaza Strip". The Times of Israel. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Zeitun, Yoav. "העדויות שבדרג הפוליטי דרשו לצנזר: חמאס לא הוכרע". Ynet. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
In most of the Gaza Strip, even at this moment, there are no IDF fighters, and the IDF, legally and apparently factually, is not defined as an occupier because Hamas still controls the territory to one degree or another and provides civilian services to the local population. This does not prevent government ministers from boasting of terms that are pleasing to the right ear, "the IDF is occupying," despite the distance between this statement and reality.
- ^ Christou, William (17 May 2025). "Israel accused of ethnic cleansing after more than 140 killed in Gaza in 24 hours". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "عمليات "حجارة داود" سلسلة كمائن لكتائب القسام". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). 1 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "'Stones of David': Third Operation Broadcast as Resistance Escalates Attacks". Palestine Chronicle. 30 May 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.