While ceasefire negotiations with Iran remain stalled, Israel is showing no pause on the ground: overnight Wednesday, the Air Force destroyed a Hamas weapons depot in central Gaza; Hezbollah drones wounded ten IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon; and the Duvdevan special forces unit arrested two terrorists in Samaria within twelve hours — one of them shortly before an imminent attack.

Airstrike on Hamas weapons depot in central Gaza — October 7 perpetrator killed

Overnight Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force carried out a precision strike on a Hamas weapons depot in the central Gaza Strip, based on IDF and Shin Bet intelligence. The depot contained weapons intended for use against IDF soldiers along the so-called Yellow Line, as well as against Israeli civilians.

Shortly before that, the Air Force destroyed a rocket launch shaft in northern Gaza and eliminated another weapons depot containing dozens of mortars, rocket launchers, explosive devices, and Kalashnikov rifles.

In a separate strike, the Air Force killed a Hamas fighter who had crossed the Yellow Line in southern Gaza and approached IDF troops in a manner that posed an immediate threat. The IDF confirmed that the man killed had participated in the October 7 massacre and had recently attempted to prepare attacks against troops.

In another airstrike, the IAF killed several members of a Hamas terror cell in central Gaza that was planning an imminent attack. Among those killed were Hazem Rami Ali Aidi, a Hamas commander who infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7; Ibrahim Mansour, a platoon commander responsible for attacks on Israeli troops throughout the war; and Maher Tantawi, an operative in Hamas’s military intelligence unit.

Israeli soldiers and an armored D9 bulldozer during an operation in the central Gaza Strip. Image source: IDF.

Ten IDF soldiers wounded in southern Lebanon — brigade commander seriously injured

At the same time, the situation in southern Lebanon escalated significantly. In two separate Hezbollah drone attacks on Wednesday, a total of ten IDF soldiers were wounded, two of them seriously.

In the first incident, Colonel Meir Biderman, commander of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Armored Brigade, was seriously wounded in the western sector of southern Lebanon. A reserve lieutenant colonel and a reservist sustained moderate and light injuries, respectively. The brigade’s chief of staff, a reserve colonel, temporarily assumed command.

In the second attack, a female soldier was seriously wounded and three others were moderately wounded.

Hezbollah’s FPV drones — small, first-person-view drones guided by fiber-optic cables — represent a growing threat, against which the IDF, by its own assessment, has not yet developed an effective defense. Israel’s Defense Ministry only publicly sought solutions in April, almost two years after these systems first appeared in the war in Ukraine.

In response to the drone attacks, the IDF carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons depots, command centers, and rocket launchers. Hezbollah operatives were also struck in the Cristofani ridge north of Mount Hermon.

Israeli soldiers conducting ground operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon, May 2026. Image source: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Press Office.

Duvdevan prevents terror attack in Qabatiya — ramming attack in Ofra

In Samaria, undercover soldiers from the elite Duvdevan Unit — Unit 217 — operated on two fronts simultaneously on Wednesday.

In Qabatiya, near Jenin, the commanders arrested a terrorist who had been planning an attack in the immediate future. The operation was carried out undercover, with the fighters operating covertly among the local Palestinian population.

Only a few hours later, the same unit arrested a second suspect in Nablus, accused of promoting terrorist activity. Both arrests took place within less than twelve hours.

The three events from the same day present a single picture: despite the outward appearance of diplomatic movement at the negotiating tables, Israel remains on constant alert and in active operational readiness across all front lines — Gaza, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria.

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