The IDF’s 99th Division completed its operational deployment in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday following four months of intensive combat activities, during which forces eliminated more than 100 terrorists, according to the IDF Spokesperson. Among those eliminated were operatives who invaded Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre and terrorists involved in holding Israeli hostages captive. The 162nd Division headquarters will now assume command of the sector.
1+Forces from the division operated east of the “Yellow Line” to dismantle and neutralize aboveground and subterranean terror infrastructure, systematically disrupting attempts by the Hamas terrorist organization to reconstitute its operational ranks. During the deployment, troops dismantled about eight kilometers of underground tunnel networks. They demolished extensive terror assets, including an observation command center and staging compounds used by operatives to prepare attacks against Israeli forces.
The “Yellow Line” marks the tactical perimeter to which the IDF redeployed under the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. Israeli forces have continued conducting precision sweeps east of the line to preempt immediate security threats and deny Hamas the ability to rebuild its armed capabilities.
1+In tandem with ongoing military operations, Hamas has sought to assert aggressive economic control across the enclave—the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevi, sent an official letter to senior international community figures on Wednesday detailing systemic extortion schemes targeting local commerce.
According to reports from local traders, Hamas operatives have been demanding kickbacks of roughly NIS 10,000 per commercial truck, threatening violence against any merchant who refuses to comply. Following the arrest and detention of a prominent merchant’s son by Hamas operatives yesterday, private distributors—who supply approximately half of all commercial freight entering the Gaza Strip each week—suspended all transport coordination until further notice.