The 2023 Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip occurred in October 2023 when the Israel Defense Forces conducted localized raids within the Gaza Strip with the intent to attack Hamas militants and locate abducted Israeli hostages.
In response to the 7 October 2023 "al-Aqsa Flood" surprise attack on southern Israel, the IDF mobilized 300,000 reservists and began to move armor close to the border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. In preparation for a ground offensive against Gaza, Israel warned 1.1 million Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip north of the Wadi Gaza to evacuate south of the creek in preparation for an all-out offensive to destroy Hamas' capacity to govern the Gaza Strip. Israel dropped leaflets in Gaza demanding the evacuation of the northern part of the city, while also cutting off power, water, and fuel supplies.
On 13 October 2023, the IDF sent armored vehicles and infantry into the Gaza Strip with the objective of attacking Hamas militants and rescuing hostages that had been taken to Gaza by Hamas. The IDF recovered the remains of hostages who were executed by Hamas near the Gaza-Israel border, and another armored raid occurred from 25 to 26 October, proving the largest offensive so far, and involving the Givati Brigade and the 162nd Armored Division. In response to the raids, Iran threatened an intervention in the war if the IDF launched a ground invasion of Gaza. President Joe Biden warned Israel against invading Gaza to allow more time for hostage negotiations, counseling that it would be almost impossible to reach a deal on the release of the hostages once an all-out invasion began. At the same time as the localized raids, during which the IDF neutralized explosive devices and reconnaissance posts, the IDF continued strikes against Gaza from air and sea, ostensibly with the purpose of killing senior Hamas commanders and destroying Hamas infrastructure. On 25 October 2023, US military advisors reportedly warned the IDF against conducting an all-out ground assault on Gaza lest they risk heavy urban fighting reminiscent of the Second Battle of Fallujah, instead suggesting precision strikes on Hamas leaders and special forces operations to rescue hostages. On 27 October 2023, Israel launched major incursions into Beit Hanoun and Bureij as the first wave of an upcoming, major ground offensive. On 28 October, Israel announced that its troops had remained in Gaza overnight, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the war had entered its "second phase", hinting that the full-scale ground invasion had begun.