The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the retrieval of the bodies of two hostages on June 5. “The retrieval and return of the bodies of two hostages cruelly held by Hamas—Israeli-American citizens, Judith Weinstein Haggai and her husband Gad Haggai—is a moment of deep pain, but also one of solace and the resolution of uncertainty,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. Fifty-six hostages now remain in Gaza, around half of them assumed to be deceased. Hamas took more than 250 people hostage during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The recovery of the deceased hostages comes as many changes are taking place in Gaza. The IDF continues to move forward slowly as part of its latest operation, Gideon’s Chariots. Launched in mid-May, the operation has seen five IDF divisions sent into various parts of the territory.
As the operation has progressed, new Palestinian armed groups have appeared in southern Gaza. “The most prominent among these militias is led by Yasser Abu-Shabab, a 32-year-old resident of Rafah from a Bedouin background, who is described on social media as a ‘militia leader in southern Gaza,’” reported Ynet. Israeli security officials confirmed to Israeli media that Israel is arming local militias in Gaza, though many of the details of this effort have not been made public. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said that “Israel is acting to defeat Hamas in various ways upon the recommendation of the heads of the security establishment.”
At the same time, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new US-backed humanitarian initiative, began delivering aid in late May. It delivered more than seven million meals in its first nine days of operation. The assistance is distributed via three sites, two in southern Gaza and one in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza. The aid sites are secured by private security personnel, mostly Americans with military experience. The food is put out in boxes on tables, and people rush to retrieve it. This procedure creates a mass of individuals that has usually led to the sites being forced to shut down as too many people arrive. A fourth site that was supposed to open in the first nine days of operation has not opened yet.
The new aid initiative has seen several hurdles. Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza claimed that people were killed while trying to reach the aid sites in incidents between June 1 and 3.
On June 3, the IDF said that “during the movement of the crowd along the designated routes toward the aid distribution site—approximately half a kilometer from the site—IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes. The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops.” Although the IDF has disputed reports of how many people were killed, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation shut down operations on June 4 and partially suspended aid delivery on June 5.
The IDF says that the new initiative is proving effective. “Gazan residents are coming to the distribution centers to receive the aid. The civilian population of Gaza understands that Hamas is not taking care of them—on the contrary, Hamas is actively trying to prevent them from receiving the aid. We operate nearby and do whatever is necessary to ensure that the aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas,” IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said on June 3.
As the aid initiative gains traction and a new armed group appears to carve out a non-Hamas area in southern Gaza, the IDF is also operating in the rest of the territory. A map the IDF revealed on June 3 shows five divisions operating in Gaza.
In the north is the 162nd Division, with its Givati and Nahal Infantry Brigades and the 401st Armored Brigade. This division operated in northern Gaza in the opening days of the war in 2023 and continued fighting in the territory until February 2025. To the south of the 162nd is the 252nd Reserve Brigade, which has returned to control the Netzarim Corridor and nearby areas. It held these locations several times in 2024. Further south is the 98th Division, which includes Paratroopers and the Commando Brigade. The division has returned to Khan Younis, where it fought during the first four months of 2024. Four IDF soldiers were killed in northern Gaza between June 2 and June 4.
Southern Gaza is held by the 36th Division and the 143rd Gaza Division. The 36th fought in Gaza briefly in the first months of the war before being sent to the Lebanon front. It returned to Gaza with its Golani Infantry Brigade in March and April 2025 to take over the new Morag Corridor. This area also abuts Rafah and Tel al Sultan, where the new aid distribution sites are located. The 143rd Division, which is supposed to secure the border with Gaza, is now also tasked with securing the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border.
