Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to hold a high-level discussion on Sunday with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to evaluate the next steps in the Gaza Strip, including potential steps to embark on a wider military operation differing from previous offenses, according to defense sources.
If hostage negotiations do not result in a breakthrough in the coming days, the IDF is expected to embark on a wider military operation.
Inside the IDF, there is an ongoing debate over whether to press forward militarily or declare the war’s main objectives achieved. These accomplishments include the destruction of Hamas’s military infrastructure, the targeted killing of senior commanders, excluding Gaza City Brigade Commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who remains a target of the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the dismantling of tunnels and weapons systems, and the seizure of over half the territory in the Gaza Strip. Israel has also blocked major smuggling routes from the Sinai Peninsula and the Mediterranean.
IDF assessments suggest that Hamas has reached its weakest point since taking over Gaza in 2007, forcing it to shift its focus from the battlefield to the diplomatic arena. Reflecting on a recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, a senior defense official said, “The operation in Iran taught Hamas that one must also know when to end fighting.”
Nevertheless, some high-ranking officers believe a wide-scale ground maneuver remains necessary. Such an action would likely result in the largest civilian displacement since the war began.
A mass evacuation could turn the Palestinian public against Hamas
Military sources said plans are being discussed to evacuate Gazans from key areas. They noted that, in Hamas’s current weakened state, a mass evacuation could turn public sentiment in Gaza against the group’s leadership. Still, they warned that urban warfare in heavily fortified and tunnel-ridden neighborhoods would result in significant IDF casualties.According to military officials, this scenario would require the deployment of five fully manned divisions, in contrast to the partial deployments used earlier in the campaign. The move would also necessitate a new wave of reserve call-ups under Tzav 8.
Meanwhile, Brig.-Gen. Itzik Cohen, a decorated officer who commanded the 162nd Division during Operation Swords of Iron, will be promoted to the rank of major general. In the coming days, he is expected to take command of the IDF Operations Directorate, replacing Maj.-Gen. Oded Basiuk.
