2025 Khan Yunis offensive | |||||||
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Part of Operation Gideon's Chariots (until 4 August 2025), the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war, the Hamas–Popular Forces conflict, and the Fatah–Hamas conflict | |||||||
Gaza Strip under Hamas control Gaza Strip under Israeli control Furthest Israeli advance in the Gaza Strip | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Israeli-backed groups
Barbakh clan (disputed) [a] | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() Yasser Abu Shabab ![]() Hossam al-Astal | ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
The 2025 Khan Yunis offensive is a major military engagement that began on 26 May 2025 as part of the broader Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip launched in May 2025, known as Operation Gideon's Chariots, during the ongoing Gaza war. It marks the fourth time Israel has invaded Khan Yunis since the beginning of the war.
Following weeks of operations in Rafah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a renewed incursion into Khan Yunis. [1] [6] The operation is targeting remaining Hamas fighters, positions, infrastructure, and tunnel networks in the city. [7] Several local anti-Hamas armed groups have also involved themselves in the fighting.
The IDF previously invaded Khan Yunis in December 2023, with the resulting battle and siege lasting until April 2024. Two later Israeli incursions into the city took place in July and in August 2024.
In May 2025, Israel launched Operation Gideon's Chariots, a renewed campaign focused on eliminating remaining Hamas forces in Gaza.
On 26 May 2025, the IDF initiated a renewed ground offensive into Khan Yunis as part of Operation Gideon's Chariots, following intense airstrikes across Southern Gaza. [1]
On 29 May, Israeli combat engineers completed a major operation to neutralize a Hamas tunnel network on the outskirts of Khan Yunis. According to an official IDF report, troops located and dismantled a lengthy "offensive" underground terror tunnel stretching several hundred meters. [8]
On 30 May, the IDF announced that the Kfir Brigade, under the command of the 36th Division, were joining the operation in Khan Yunis. [9]
On 6 June, Palestinian militants killed five Israeli soldiers in an ambush east of Khan Yunis, that involved a building rigged with an explosive which collapsed and killed the soldiers. [10]
On 9 June, the IDF completed the capture of all of eastern Khan Yunis. [11]
On 12 June, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reported that a bus carrying about two dozen Palestinian GHF workers was attacked by Hamas while on its way to a distribution center near Khan Yunis. The attack killed at least eight people and caused multiple injuries. [12] Hamas said that the aid workers were in reality members of the Popular Forces. [13]
On 24 June, seven Israeli soldiers operating in Khan Yunis were killed by an explosive device, thought to have been planted by Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades. [14]
On 26 June, the Barbakh clan, which reportedly opposes both Hamas and Israel, engaged in armed clashes with Hamas forces at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. [2]
On 27 June, Popular Forces militants reportedly seized control of the Nasser Hospital after a gunbattle with Hamas forces. [15]
On 3 July, Ynet reported that the Fatah-affiliated Khanidak clan, led by Yasser Khanidak, was operating in Khan Yunis and was being armed by Israel. [16]
On 9 July, Palestinian militants attempted to abduct an Israeli soldier in Khan Yunis, who resisted and was then killed. [17]
On 20 August, 14 Al-Qassam Brigades gunmen attacked an Israeli military post in Khan Yunis near the Morag Corridor, likely in an attempt to abduct soldiers. Israeli forces exchanged gunfire with the attackers and reportedly killed between eight and ten gunmen while others retreated. [18] Three IDF soldiers were injured in the attack. [19] The fighters also managed to snipe the commander of a Merkava tank, fatally wounding them. Israeli media referred to it as a “rare” attack that managed to “penetrate the defenses” of the Nahshon Battalion of the army’s Kfir Brigade.
On 25 August, the IDF launched air strikes on the Nasser Hospital, killing 22 civilians, including five journalists. [20]
On 3 October, clashes in Khan Yunis erupted between Hamas' Arrow Unit and gunmen from the Fatah-aligned [21] al-Mujaida clan. Hamas stated its forces launched a raid to detain supposed collaborators with Israel. Hamas forces reportedly killed 5 members of the clan, and armed clan members reportedly killed 11 Hamas men. [22] The Counter-Terrorism Strike Force (CSF), a local anti-Hamas armed group, said its men fought the Hamas forces alongside clan members, with Israeli air support. [23] The situation deescalated following the mediation of local elders and an exchange of deceased bodies. [22]