May 2025 Gaza offensive
| May 2025 Gaza offensive | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war | |
Gaza Strip under Israeli control
Furthest Israeli advance in Gaza Strip
Evacuated areas inside Israel
Area of Gaza subject to Israeli evacuation orders See here for a more detailed map. | |
| Type | Ground invasion, aerial bombing. |
| Location | |
| Planned by | Israel |
| Date | 16 May 2025 – present (1 month and 3 days) |
| Executed by | |
| Outcome |
|
| Casualties | 400+ killed, 1,000+ injured |
On 4 May 2025, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to expand its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Codenamed Operation Gideon's Chariots (Hebrew: מבצע מרכבות גדעון), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aim to defeat Hamas, destroy its military and governing capabilities, and take control over the entire Gaza Strip. The operation involves combined military force from land, air, and sea. On 16 May, Israel announced the launch of the operation. As of 9 June, the Israeli military controls approximately 50% of the Gaza Strip, most of which was captured during this offensive. The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the offensive as tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Hamas has responded with a counter-offensive that it calls Stones of David, consisting of a series of ambushes and small-scale military operations against the IDF.