War Day 576: IDF Hits Houthis Hard, ‘Operation Gideon’s Chariots’ Commences

Summary: May 5, 2025

Israel’s delivers its final offer and deadline for Hamas, IDF announces “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, Israel to retake Gaza and retain control, food will only be supplied in a restricted zone, Gazans will be encouraged (but not forced) to relocate, Smuggling attempt and weapons ring thwarted in Judea and Samaria, airstrike targets Hezbollah rebuilding efforts deep inside Lebanon, and IDF hits Houthis hard.

59 held captive in Gaza.
35 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
147 living hostages rescued.
49 hostage bodies rescued.
1,836 Israelis killed.
420 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
30,720 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

– Israel’s final offer and deadline for Hamas
– Fallen hero
– IDF announces “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”
– Israel to retake Gaza, retain control
– Food will only be supplied in a restricted zone
– Gazans will be encouraged (but not forced) to relocate
– Smuggling attempt, weapons ring thwarted in Judea and Samaria
– Airstrike targets Hezbollah rebuilding efforts deep inside Lebanon
– IDF hits Houthis hard

Hostages:

Israel has given Hamas a final offer, with a deadline. The deadline is the end of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, on May 16. The final offer follows the “Witkoff Framework,” and includes the following:

– A ceasefire of several days, during which Hamas will release several (presumably more than 10) living hostages, as well as some bodies of murdered hostages. (Assume that humanitarian aid will be delivered and terrorists freed during this stage.)

– An extended ceasefire with a deadline, during which negotiations will be held for ending the war.

– An end of war agreement will include a disarmed Gaza, and the deportation of all senior Hamas members.

After significant pressure from the U.S., Qatar has stepped away from negotiations, and is no longer involved (for now).

(Source: News 14)

At the end of the deadline, Israel will begin the new operation, to retake Gaza—detailed below.

Gaza:

An IDF hero was killed in a car crash during operational activity in Israel, near the border with Gaza:

Sgt. Maj. (res.) Dejen Daniel Sahalo, 41, from Rehovot

There remain three IDF divisions active in Gaza, focused on clearing the buffer zone throughs Gaza’s outskirts, which includes much of the northern end, and the entire Rafah until Khan Younis.

Amongst many targets struck yesterday, the Air Force attacked and destroyed primed rocket launchers belonging to Hamas, in Khan Younis. After the strike, several explosions were detected, confirming the destruction of several prepared rockets.

The IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, announced that a new phase of the war will begin (if a deal is not reached by May 16), which is named “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” The operation’s goals are twofold: To return the hostages, and defeat Hamas’s rule.

In the new operation, the IDF will completely retake Gaza from Hamas, and methodologically clear it out. The groundwork for this has already begun with the clearing out of Rafah, and establishment of the Morag Corridor, which cuts it off from Khan Younis.

A clear humanitarian zone will be established in Rafah, Southern Gaza, under IDF control. Gazan civilians will be advised to relocate to the security zone, for their own safety. Anyone who wishes to enter must undergo a screening process, in order to keep Hamas out, and prevent Hamas from stealing the aid, or endangering the civilians in the secured zone. Humanitarian aid will be distributed in the zone by an approved civilian foundation. It will not be distributed elsewhere.

Any Gazan who wishes to leave Gaza will be given assistance to do so, with priority to those who entered the security zone in Southern Gaza. (Israel still needs to close agreements with more countries to take them in.)

With the civilians separated from Hamas, the IDF will have much more freedom of action. Since the civilian support for Hamas is extremely low, and 90% are already displaced from their homes, the IDF expects them to be more willing to relocate to the secure zone. As food runs out, the availability in the secure zone will also entice them.

Using heavy airstrikes, followed by maneuvers of ground forces, the IDF will take the entirety of Gaza. Since Hamas has hidden tunnels, weapons, and booby traps in nearly every building, all the buildings in Gaza will be destroyed as legitimate military targets. Brush, and any other means of hiding, will be removed. This will be done with great intensity.

Areas taken by the IDF will be held permanently, without allowing Hamas to return.

The IDF is likely to launch operations from three main corridors within Gaza: The Netzarim Corridor between Northern Gaza and Central Gaza; a new Kissufim corridor which will be created to separate Khan Younis from Central Gaza; and the Morag corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis. Most of Northernmost Gaza is already taken and cleared out, just like Rafah.

The IDF currently knows the location of all of the hostages, and will be careful not to harm them in airstrikes, or to near them when there is a risk of their captors harming them.

Hamas terrorists who are holding hostages will gradually become isolated and starved. They will be given the chance to release the hostages in exchange for a reward and their own safe passage out of Gaza. Alternatively, the IDF will eventually have a higher advantage and increased ability to rescue the hostages without them being harmed. The plan does include a risk to the hostages lives, but it is assessed to be low, and the only remaining way to get them free at this point, without allowing Hamas to rebuild and take hostages again.

A note from international law expert, Professor Eugene Kontorovich: “You will see a lot of careless news stories reporting that Israel plans to occupy Gaza. In fact, Gaza can’t be occupied, because the legal institution of belligerent occupation only exists in an international armed conflict, i.e., one between two states. Gaza is not a state.”

Tens of thousands of IDF reservists were given orders to report in the next few days. Despite the difficulties of leaving their families and jobs again, some for the seventh time in nineteen months, an incredible 102% of reservists have responded that they will report.

Judea & Samaria:

Security forces thwarted a weapons smuggling attempt from Jordan to Israel, and confiscated four pistols. Smuggling from Jordan is an ongoing problem, due to minimal fencing, and Jordanian resistance to improving the border security.

In a separate incident, forces thwarted an illegal weapons trafficking ring in Shechem (Nablus). Hundreds of weapons and tactical means were confiscated, including pistols, knives, electric stun guns, airsoft, pepper spray canisters, and more. One person was arrested.

The IDF will be increasing operations in Samaria, and will begin destroying buildings in the Tulkarem areas associated with terror groups.

Lebanon:

This evening, the IDF struck a Hezbollah weapons production site in the Beak region in Lebanon, near the border with Syria. This building had been hit before, and Hezbollah was now attempting to restore it, to resume production—a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The explosion from the airstrike was massive, and caused a large fire.

Syria:

The IDF’s elite Mountains Brigade completed a raid on the headquarters of the previous Syrian regime’s Hermon unit.

During the operation, troops located military infrastructure of the old regime, bunkers, and numerous weapons, including: cannons, launchers, mortars, rockets, explosive charges, and mines.

All the resources were destroyed or confiscated by the forces.

Since the start of operations in Syria, following the Assad regime’s collapse, the IDF has been deployed to nine outposts inside southern Syria, mostly within the former UN-patrolled buffer zone. Troops have been operating throughout the area, as far as 15 kilometers deep into Syria, in order to demilitarize the area and prevent hostile forces from moving in, in what would be a threat to Israel’s security.

Yemen:

Israel attacked the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen today, in response to the ballistic missile which hit a field in Ben Gurion Airport.

20 fighter jets dropped 50 munitions on targets in and around the Hodeidah seaport, which is approximately 2,000 km (1,242 miles) away from Israeli territory. Massive fires erupted due to the strikes. The strikes were aimed to hurt the Houthis both militarily and economically.

The Hodeidah seaport is used by the Houthis to import Iranian weapons, military equipment, and other terrorist needs.

The strikes also targeted the “Bajil” concrete factory, east of Hodeidah, which both serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi regime, and also used to build terror tunnels and military infrastructure.

The strike was coordinated with the U.S., but the U.S. did not take part in it, since the response message needed to be from Israel.

Sponsored anonymously, in honor of the IDF, and to bring the hostages home.

——
I wouldn’t be able to write these updates without the support of my incredible readers. Please message me if you’d like to sponsor an update, which is sent to over 20,000 avid readers, who help fight misinformation and spread awareness. Sponsorship is $100 per day and includes a written dedication in the update.

WhatsApp Bruria Efune
+972 58-527-8742
Join WhatsApp Update Group