The Israeli military extended its operations in Gaza City between September 28 and October 2, pushing further into the large city and cutting it off from central Gaza. The IDF’s operation against Hamas in Gaza City has been moving forward systematically over the last month, and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on October 1 that Israel is now “tightening the siege” around the capital of the Gaza Governorate. The operations continued as the US unveiled a plan to end the war.
With most of the Gaza City’s one million residents evacuated, the IDF has moved forces west along the Netzarim Corridor and taken over an area that stretches down to the sea, essentially cutting off Gaza City from central Gaza. “The IDF is currently completing the capture of the Netzarim axis to the western coast of Gaza, dividing Gaza into north and south,” the Israeli military said in a statement sent to media outlets on October 1.
The Netzarim Corridor was previously captured and held by the IDF beginning in late October 2023. The Israeli military subsequently withdrew as part of the January 2025 ceasefire agreement and only returned to control the eastern part of this key area after the truce ended in March 2025. The western section of the Netzarim Corridor was left open so that almost a million people in Gaza City could flee south. Now, the IDF’s 99th Division has extended its control along the entire Netzarim axis.
The IDF says that people seeking to leave Gaza City and head south will continue to be able to do so. However, the IDF warned on October 1 that this was the “last chance” for residents to move south and separate themselves from the Hamas members who may remain behind.
The Israeli military says it continues to locate terrorists as its forces move forward. In one incident on September 28, Israeli troops identified five individuals involved in firing an anti-tank missile. The Israeli military also continues to strike high-rise buildings in Gaza City that it says are being used by Hamas, in addition to carrying out numerous other airstrikes in Gaza. Between September 27 and 28, a total of 140 targets were struck in Gaza, the IDF stated. Two days later, the IDF reported that it had hit 160 targets.
On September 30, the day before Yom Kippur, when most of Israel stops for a holiday, IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir visited troops in Gaza. Zamir stated that Israel is now “in a period of historic war and at a consequential crossroads.”
The IDF has highlighted the continued efforts of several key units in Gaza. Three divisions are active in Gaza City, including the 162nd, 36th, and 98th. The 99th Division is operating to the south of the city in the Netzarim Corridor.
The Israeli military said that the 188th Armored Brigade and the 828th Brigade struck and eliminated “dozens of terrorists” and dismantled tunnel shafts. During this activity, a terrorist sought to plant an explosive on one of the unit’s Namer APCs. In another sector, the Givati Brigade carried out a sweep of a multi-story building and found a booby-trapped explosive device.
On October 1, the Israeli military said that the Commando Brigade, which is part of the 98th Division, had “launched an extensive ground operation in Gaza City as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.” This effort involved combat in a dense urban environment in which “several terrorist compounds” were identified.
The IDF also continues to release information on precision strikes it has conducted. A strike eliminated a Hamas commander of the Bureij Battalion in the Central Camps area on September 28. In addition, the deputy commander of Hamas’s Zeitoun battalion was eliminated, the IDF said on September 29. The IDF has entered and left Zeitoun at least seven times since the war began. Hamas appears to have replaced numerous fallen commanders since the war started, after many of its company, battalion, and brigade commanders have been killed.
Terrorist groups in Gaza continue to try to launch rockets at Israel. Shortly after Yom Kippur started, five projectiles were launched toward the southern Israeli city of Ashdod. In another incident on September 29, two projectiles were launched at Nahal Oz near the border of Gaza. However, the rocket fire has declined to around one incident per week.
