The Israel Defense Forces have increased the frequency of strikes in Gaza over the past three months, although these numbers are overshadowed by the operations conducted in the initial weeks of the conflict.
Since the commencement of the ongoing conflict on October 7, Israeli ground, air, and naval forces have executed approximately 37,000 strikes on targets in Gaza. This includes more than 25,000 strikes on what the IDF identified as terrorist infrastructure and launch sites, as per a new dataset released on Tuesday.
In January, the IDF reported 30,000 strikes in Gaza. However, this number had only risen to 2,000 by April, signifying an escalation in operations following a temporary lull during Ramadan and Israel’s withdrawal from Khan Younis.
The IDF shared the total figure of 37,000 strikes in an online update on Tuesday, along with the claim that 14,000 „terrorists” had been neutralized or captured. This figure includes the elimination of key militants such as brigade commanders, battalion commanders, and company commanders. Notably, recent airstrikes on July 13 targeted Hamas military commander Muhammed Deif and a brigade commander in southern Gaza, resulting in the death of the brigade commander.
Israel initiated the military campaign in response to the October 7 attack, where Hamas inflicted casualties on around 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis and abducted many others. The Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between combatants and non-combatants, reported over 38,000 deaths since the conflict began.
The IDF emphasized its efforts to locate terrorists hiding in sensitive locations across the Gaza Strip, including hospitals, schools, and humanitarian shelters. These areas are exploited by terrorists for shelter and planning attacks. Strikes on such infrastructure are carried out in accordance with international law to prevent the reestablishment of terrorist capabilities.
Recent IDF data differs slightly from previous releases in January and April, with the most recent update on July 16 focusing solely on the number of adversaries eliminated in Gaza and the total number of strikes conducted.
While Hamas launched 9,000 rockets in the initial three months of the war, the number decreased to approximately 1,000 in the subsequent three months. The IDF did not provide estimates for rocket launches from May to July, suggesting a significant reduction in rocket fire to only a few launches per day according to Israeli monitoring apps.
