Unusual criticism has emerged in recent days from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground officers operating in the Gaza Strip, following the deaths of seven soldiers from the IDF’s 605th Battalion after an explosive device was thrown at a Puma armored personnel carrier in Khan Yunis.
The officers are calling for a significant reduction in the time between identifying a target on the ground and carrying out an airstrike via Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets. “We’re able to strike targets 1,500 kilometers away from Israel, but sometimes it takes far too long to hit targets just across the border in Gaza,” the officers said.
According to officers serving in the division, when a “flash target” is declared—meaning a target identified by ground forces that requires immediate destruction from the air—the time from request to actual strike can range from a few minutes to dozens of minutes. During that window, troops in the area are ordered to seek shelter to avoid collateral damage from shrapnel or blast waves. Most soldiers take cover in APCs, tanks, or nearby buildings until the strike is carried out.
But officers engaged in the fighting in Gaza Division say the delays are causing operational challenges. “What happens if the delay lasts too long—say, dozens of minutes?” one officer said. “The soldiers start to drift off inside the vehicles. It impacts alertness and readiness. The Air Force needs to manage timing more clearly. It can’t be that a military capable of striking Yemen and Iran from 1,500 km away takes too long to strike targets in Gaza, regardless of the reason. There should be a standard protocol—like the Air Force likes to say.”
Another officer said, “There needs to be a professional demand to streamline coordination and minimize the response time for flash targets. There’s no substitute for Air Force strikes—they’re effective, they’re deterrent, and they’re destructive.” He added that delays may be caused by planning constraints and called for “new adaptations and new tools. The current performance on this issue is slowing down operations and putting soldiers at risk.”
IDF: Claims of tension and lack of support are false
The IDF dismissed the allegations, stating: “Claims of tension and lack of support are incorrect and undermine the efforts of hundreds of service members working day and night to provide rapid and effective assistance.”
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the 36th Division has been operating in Khan Yunis for the past three months as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. The division, the IDF said, enjoys full cooperation with the Air Force, which provides fire support, reconnaissance, extraction capabilities, and other operational assistance.
During Operation With the Lion, the IDF reported striking approximately 500 targets in the sector using fighter jets, attack helicopters, and UAVs. These strikes, the army said, are conducted in accordance with a structured protocol and under efforts to minimize response time.
605th Battalion soldiers defend commander amid public criticism
Meanwhile, soldiers of the 605th Battalion issued a statement of support for their battalion commander amid public criticism over the aging Puma APCs used in the field.
“We, the soldiers of the 605th Battalion, wish to draw attention to the numerous complaints about the outdated Pumas,” the statement read. “The public backlash against our battalion commander is terrible and unacceptable… Questions about the quality of the equipment or why there are no new vehicles should be directed to the decision-makers in the IDF and the Defense Ministry.”
The statement concluded with a call to end the public discourse: “Stop this conversation—it brings us frustration and sadness. We hold our heads high and move forward. The 605th Battalion, under the leadership of our commander and deputy commander, will continue to fulfill every mission and objective.”