‘There are terrorists right below us’: As 2nd anniversary of Oct 7 nears, IDF prepares for heavy combat in Gaza City

As the second anniversary of Hamas’ brutal invasion of Israel approaches, fighting in Gaza still continues.

Three IDF divisions are currently working in parallel to take control of Gaza City, coming from different sides, in order to destroy Hamas' remaining terror infrastructure as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. 

One of the key battlegrounds facing the forces is in the Shati refugee camp, where the military is preparing for heavy combat. Hamas is believed to have heavily built up infrastructure in Shati, with hundreds of fighters remaining in the neighborhood, and dozens of already-prepared improvised explosive devices (IEDs). 

The military believes that much of the tunnel infrastructure in Shati is intact, likely linking to other parts of Gaza City, and destroying the tunnel system there could take as long as two and a half months.  

A key part of the fight against Hamas is the evacuation of the remaining civilian population from Gaza City, and according to military estimates, about 800,000 people have departed the city so far. On Saturday, Channel 12 News reported that the IDF’s Southern Command is examining the feasibility of bringing the civilian population through controlled checkpoints, in order to prevent Hamas fighters from sneaking into humanitarian areas along with the fleeing civilians. 

The move would bring stricter conditions for fleeing civilians, and involve examining each person fleeing to the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF is considering the move in order to prevent the escape of terrorists into the humanitarian zone, which would further endanger civilians there. 

The defense establishment believes that separating the civilian population from Hamas, which relies on civilians remaining in Gaza City to be human shields, would lead to a quicker defeat of the remaining terror infrastructure in the embattled city. About 270,000 people are believed to have remained in Gaza City. 

In Shati, the southern exit of the refugee camp was deliberately left open over the past few days to allow residents to flee.

In the meantime, operations continue, with Palestinians reporting IDF tanks advancing to within 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the coast bordering the western side of Gaza City. 

The situation in Gaza City this morning:
- Citizen movement is limited to the far west of the city (Saraya)
- Tanks advanced yesterday in the north of the city, with gunfire and artillery fire on all IDF lines of operations...⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QydebMgthv

— Ph.Gritti (@Philipp27960841) September 29, 2025

Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck around 140 targets in the Gaza Strip, including high-rise buildings which the military said were used by Hamas. 

The Israeli Navy also operated in conjunction with ground forces in Gaza, shelling a weapons depot and buildings used by Hamas operatives. 

The 36th Division destroyed several buildings being used to observe soldiers, and directed a drone strike that killed a group of gunmen planting IEDs ahead of advancing troops. Soldiers of the 98th Division killed a Hamas operative observed launching mortars at the forces. 

Captain B., a company commander in the 71st Battalion, told Channel 12 News that fighting in Gaza City is different due to the number of tall buildings that remain in the city. 

“The activity is different from what we experienced in Khan Yunis and Rafah,” Captain B. said. “It's more crowded here, it's a different world, crowded and high. Fighting is more challenging. But we have a lot of fire support from the Air Force.” 

Soldiers' lives were also saved thanks to the use of drones in the field of combat. In a recent maneuver, an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden under a blanket in a building in Gaza City was discovered by a drone operator. The IED was located on the sixth floor of a high-rise building during a drone search of the site before soldiers entered. The IED was neutralized by combat engineering forces, and the incident ended without casualties. 

🎥WATCH: Drone footage of explosive devices located & neutralized by IDF troops in Gaza City.

During a sweep of a multi-story terrorist structure, a booby-trapped explosive device was identified on the sixth floor by a UAV. The device was concealed by a blanket and intended to… pic.twitter.com/yoURZGnxmj

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 29, 2025

Lt. Col. A., commander of the reconnaissance battalion of the Company Commanders' School, told Maariv that Hamas has shifted to fighting a guerrilla-style of combat, and rarely engages IDF forces directly. 

“Compared to the first phase of the fighting, the enemy is less on the ground to confront us face-to-face and more in a stinging method. Events are very, very fast and very, very close, and that is a challenge,” Lt. Col. A. said. 

Speaking of the situation in Shati, Lt. Col. A. told Ynet that the IDF is facing terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks. 

“There are terrorists right below us, and the Nukhba terrorists went from here to slaughter in Zikim and the Gaza envelope on October 7,” he related. A. said the IDF is working “to destroy them from above and below, because every street here is a Hamas battlefield.” 

🔴 ELIMINATED: Hasan Mahmoud Hasan Hussein, a Nukhba terrorist who helped command the Oct. 7 Massacre and took part in civilian abductions, was eliminated in a joint IDF and ISA strike.

Hussein, who served as a Nukhba company commander in the Bureij Battalion of Hamas’ Central… pic.twitter.com/2DE1GPooKq

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 28, 2025

So far, the IDF has continued to avoid areas of the city where the hostages are believed to be held, as they were marked in advance by Military Intelligence. 

Lt. Col. A said he sees the IDF’s work in Gaza City as helping free the remaining hostages. 

“The military pressure has already led to deals and successful rescues,” he said, while stating that the IDF must continue fighting “against an enemy who attacked us, slaughtered, raped, and massacred,” and will only be stopped by comprehensive pressure.