On May 18, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir announced that Israel had launched a ground offensive as part of the Gideon’s Chariots operation approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet on May 4. Zamir made the announcement while conducting a situational assessment in northern Gaza with the IDF’s 162nd Division.
The initial moves of the new offensive are taking place amid a push for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. Five trucks of aid entered the territory on May 19. Israel had cut off aid since March 2, when the first phase of a ceasefire deal ended without a continued agreement. However, the US has pushed for increased assistance in recent weeks.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced a new US-led aid initiative on May 9, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is “troubled” by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The latest aid plan, led by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), envisions private security contractors helping to secure aid distribution sites in the territory. Dozens of contractors arrived in Israel in the days before the first renewed assistance was delivered on May 19.
While aid was cut off, the IDF conducted limited operations in Gaza between March 18 and May 18 as Israel left space for a new hostage deal to be discussed. After the new, expanded offensive was approved on May 4, Israel continued to wait for US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf states to conclude before proceeding with larger operations.
Zamir met with the commander of the 162nd Division, Brigadier General Sagiv Dahan, on May 18 to discuss Gideon’s Chariots. Dahan took over as head of the division in April 2025. The 162nd served in Gaza after the first days after October 7, 2023, for 500 straight days of combat that ended for the unit in February 2025. The division’s 401st Armored Brigade is poised to once again take part in fighting in northern Gaza.
“We will continue until we dismantle the enemy’s combat ability and achieve a decisive defeat wherever we operate. We cannot go back to the reality of October 7th. We have two main objectives before us: the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” Zamir told soldiers of the division on May 18.
The IDF says the new operation has flexibility built into its maneuver aspects to enable a hostage deal. IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin noted that the Israeli military carried out preliminary strikes before the expanded operations on May 18. Defrin also said five IDF divisions are now operating in Gaza with the goal of clearing areas and destroying terror infrastructure above and below ground. Civilians will be asked to evacuate areas where the IDF operates. “The final principle is targeting Hamas’ command and control system—striking its commanders and remaining capabilities, until its military and governmental collapse,” Defrin said.
On May 13, the IDF conducted an airstrike targeting a bunker under the European Hospital in Gaza. The airstrike is believed to have killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, according to Israeli and regional media reports. He was the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed in October 2024.
The IDF has already operated in many areas of Gaza, and it appears it will return to many areas held in 2024 in the initial phase of the new operation. “Unlike in the past, we are now concentrating offensive efforts in the Gaza Strip and carrying out strikes aimed at achieving decisive outcomes in the areas where we operate,” Defrin said. He also noted that IDF reservists summoned in the thousands for the new offensive have “reported in large numbers.”
As part of the new offensive, the Israeli Air Force said it struck 670 targets between May 11 and 18 and struck another 160 overnight between May 18 and 19 as the push picked up steam.
