“We Freed Ourselves from Our Fears”
Between summer 2022 and summer 2025, IDF engineering units carried out a series of targeted operations in the refugee camps of northern Samaria, aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure and restoring operational freedom of movement. Colonel A., head of engineering in Central Command, described in an interview how the area has been transformed from a security bottleneck into open territory for IDF presence.
“We are doing things here that have never been done before,” he said.
The need for deep change became clear in 2023, when a special Yamam force in Judea and Samaria encountered an IED in Jenin camp and suffered casualties. The incident exposed roads packed with explosives and the loss of military freedom of movement. Operation “Home and Garden” and the war that followed paved the way for Operations “Summer Camps” and “Iron Wall” – plans to redesign the refugee camps.
Unprecedented Engineering Achievements
In the main camps – Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur a-Shams – 260 structures were demolished to open new routes, 11 km of roads were created, 20 laboratories and command centers were uncovered, and barriers designed to stop vehicles were removed. Roads were widened, symbolic and security darkness was lifted, and Central Command orders now ensure the new conditions remain in place.
Colonel A. said the plan also includes reconnecting civilian infrastructure such as water and electricity and, in some cases, assisting residents. Regarding the Palestinian Authority’s role, he noted: “The security mechanisms are pleased there are no terrorists there today.”
According to Colonel A., forces are expected to remain in the camps at least until year’s end. Central Command considers these moves historic, both militarily and in engineering terms, confident that control will be maintained. “We freed ourselves from our own fears,” he said. “We stopped treating the shadow of mountains as if they were mountains.”
“Step by Step, We’re Crushing the Enemy”
On the Gaza front as well, things are moving forward. A post by Ari Kaniel this week shared the view of a soldier in Gaza, frustrated by what he sees as demoralization in the media and the downplaying of the army’s success.
“Hello, Beit Hanoun! Pleased to introduce you to the Jewish people in general, and the Givati Combat Team in particular. I know there are attempts at demoralization in the media back home, but looking clearly at reality – we are crushing the enemy step by step,” he wrote.
He addressed the question of why the fighting takes so long: “For decades we were told that if we decided to, we could conquer Gaza in days. That fantasy shattered. Clearing the Gaza Strip of the enemy takes time, especially if you want to work thoroughly and safely.”
According to him, the war’s pace has shifted: at the start, the IDF pushed quickly toward critical targets, boosting morale but at a heavy cost. Now, “we work slower, smarter, and the method proves itself daily.”
He described Beit Hanoun: “With insane motivation and the genius of Einsteins in uniform, we taught the Beit Hanoun Battalion a lesson in warfare, and practically wiped it out.”
He concluded with a request to the public: “Understand the reality through your own eyes, not through commentators. We know exactly what it looks like, smells like, and tastes like.”
Research: Hamas’s Own Data Shows IDF Targeting Terrorists, Not Civilians
And on the battleground of public opinion, a new study by T-Politography analyzed casualty data from Gaza as published by the Hamas-controlled “Ministry of Health.” While the Hamas source is unreliable and biased, researchers found a clear trend: as the war continues, the proportion of male casualties of fighting age rises, while the proportion of civilians falls.
Fewer Civilian Casualties Over Time
At the start of the war, during large-scale airstrikes, only about 20% of the dead were men aged 17–55. Nearly two years later, the figure has risen to about 45%, indicating increased targeting of combatants.
Professor Gilad Hirschberger of Reichman University, who led the research with Professor Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler and Col. (res.) Dr. Shaul Arieli, said: “The data show that IDF fire is focused on men of fighting age, not children, women, or the elderly. This reflects a deliberate and successful effort to strike terrorists and not civilians. If there were intent to destroy a population, the data would look entirely different – and there is no sign of that.”
The researchers noted that their method can be applied in future to analyze other claims, such as alleged famine in Gaza, even when data comes from hostile sources.
Menachem Marton and Roni Siani contributed to this article.
