IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will hold a discussion on Monday at the headquarters in Tel Aviv regarding continuing operations in the Gaza Strip, following Sunday's discussion that resulted in delaying the decision regarding advanced ground operations in Gaza until a final response is received from Hamas.
At the end of a discussion held on Sunday at the Southern Command attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and senior General Staff officials, it was decided to delay the decision regarding further ground operations.
It was further decided that the level of preparedness and readiness in the field must be increased in anticipation of a command from the political echelon. In the event of Hamas refusing a deal, and in the absence of American opposition, the IDF will maneuver in the Gaza Strip with five divisions and intensive air strikes to defeat the terrorist organization. Despite divided opinions, military officials estimated that a maneuver of this magnitude would finally advance the military campaign.
The defense establishment estimates that as long as US President Donald Trump allows the IDF to continue fighting in the Gaza Strip and does not force a deal between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages, the political echelon will continue to approve further military actions. Senior IDF officials claim that they have exhausted the military moves and estimate that the political echelon needs to come up with a new strategy with Hamas that will lead to the release of the hostages.
Divided opinions: Large-scale operation may endanger lives of hostages
Opinions within the IDF are divided over the claim that it is possible to defeat Hamas through an intensive ground maneuver into the last central centers of its power. Such a large-scale operation would endanger the lives of the estimated 20 living hostages and would likely result in a high number of IDF soldier casualties, given that the area is saturated with tunnels and terrorist infrastructure.
This is the last area where Hamas operates as an organized fighting force, under the command of the Gaza Brigade chief, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Hamas's current leader in Gaza - in contrast to the southern part of Gaza, where Hamas operates more as a guerrilla force, through small terrorist cells.
Military officials also clarified that an operation of this magnitude would finally advance the idea of a military government, since then the IDF would control all of territory in Gaza (currently approaching 70% control of the territory), an idea that the IDF is not interested in and is reluctant to take such a step.
It is important to emphasize that there are those who see this move as a final military dismantling of Hamas's main military capabilities: the rocket array, tunnels, and complete control of the territory.
Sunday's discussion also addressed the military's goals and the IDF's ability to remain in the Palestinian territory in the heart of the cities for extended periods of time without deteriorating the other arenas. For example, the Houthis in Yemen may increase the rate of launching ballistic missiles at the Israeli home front. Discussions did not address the increasing attrition among soldiers in reserve duty.