An IDF special unit is conducting operations in Khan Yunis, according to a report by Al-Arabiya on Monday morning. The Saudi-based Al-Hadath channel also reported large-scale special forces activity across the Gaza Strip. Residents in Gaza have reported casualties and dozens of injuries following intense attacks. As of now, there is no official Israeli confirmation that a hostage rescue mission has taken place.
#بالفيديو.. وخلال ثوانٍ معدود.. “جيش” الاحتلال شنّ عشرات الغارات على محافظة #خان_يونس في جنوب قطاع #غزة.#الميادين pic.twitter.com/pSiIow6Wqy
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) May 19, 2025
Initial reports from the Gaza Strip claim that a special Israeli force, allegedly disguised as women, infiltrated an apartment in Khan Yunis and killed the apartment’s occupant, Ahmed Sarhan, a senior commander in the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees—a terrorist organization considered the third largest armed group in the Gaza Strip, while detaining his wife and several of his children. The unit was said to consist of nine operatives.
According to additional reports, the fighters shot Sarhan in the head, and his body was transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.
حقيبة مموهة تركتها القوات الخاصة في خانيونس بعد انتهاء العملية pic.twitter.com/SvCOY49mEu
— Ahmad Hamieh???????????????? (@Ahmadhamieh313) May 19, 2025
Khan Yunis remains a central stronghold of the Sinwar family, which played a major role in financing and constructing Hamas’s underground tunnel networks and terrorist infrastructure, much of which has survived previous IDF operations in the area.
According to Israeli assessments conducted before the recent attempt to eliminate Muhammad Sinwar, he was operating in and around Khan Yunis with his close associates. The area is still believed to harbor senior Hamas leaders, top field commanders, and several Israeli hostages.
صباح خان يونس وكل غزة قبل قليل
ألا ساء صباح المجرمين pic.twitter.com/ehiGSXW30G— Tamer Almisshal | تامر المسحال (@TamerMisshal) May 19, 2025
A political source told Walla that he “neither confirms nor denies” the reports. However, a senior Israeli official did confirm that the IDF had carried out a special operation in Khan Yunis. The defense establishment added that there were no IDF casualties during the operation. The IDF stated that the broader Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” continues as planned, with forces active throughout Gaza. No special alerts have been issued in Israeli hospitals.
According to the reports, the operation involved a series of airstrikes, machine gun fire from helicopter gunships, and tank shelling. Smoke bombs were also deployed, apparently to provide cover for the special forces unit exiting Khan Yunis.
Al Arabiya reported that Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip intensified early Monday, with coordinated attacks involving the air force, naval vessels, tanks, and artillery. Strikes were reported from the eastern edge of Rafah in the south to the western outskirts of Beit Lahia in the north, according to Al Arabiya and Al Hadath correspondents.
Gaza’s Civil Defense announced at dawn on Monday that heavy Israeli airstrikes targeted tents sheltering displaced persons, as well as residential homes across the southern, central, and northern parts of the Strip. At least 11 Gazans were reported killed in the attacks.
According to data from Israel’s security establishment, more than 400,000 Gazans have relocated from the northern Gaza Strip to the south since the beginning of the renewed phase of the war last March.
In parallel, the IDF has ramped up its efforts to demolish Hamas infrastructure, using a combination of explosive charges and heavy engineering equipment to destroy tunnels, command centers, and other strategic assets on the ground.
