Israeli officials are preparing to restart military operations in Gaza within the next four to six weeks, planning a significant escalation with the deployment of tens of thousands of soldiers in a coordinated assault on Hamas, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The report states that the incoming IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, has been formulating this strategy under the direction of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz. Zamir reportedly viewed the previous plans created by outgoing Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi as insufficient to secure a decisive victory. The new strategy would see a much larger deployment of IDF troops to Gaza, with up to 50,000 soldiers, which is a significant increase over the number of troops deployed so far in the conflict.
This new plan also involves relocating Gaza’s civilian population to humanitarian buffer zones prior to launching a full ground assault on Hamas forces and other terrorist groups operating in the region.
Brigadier General (res.) Amir Avivi was quoted in the article, emphasizing that the upcoming operation will be “decisive” and that Israel “will use every tool it has to conquer Gaza and eradicate Hamas.”
The renewal of the war is expected to begin with an extensive airstrike campaign. Additionally, humanitarian aid to Gaza will be reduced and only allowed to enter the designated humanitarian zones, with the aim of preventing Hamas from seizing the aid to bolster its strength, as it has done since the October 7 massacre.
Zamir is anticipated to present the finalized details of the military plan to Netanyahu and Katz when he formally assumes his position next Thursday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu alluded to the upcoming offensive during a speech at an officer course graduation ceremony on Sunday: “We are ready to return to intensive fighting at any moment. The plans for the operation are ready.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also commented on the preparations at a conference in Yerushalayim: “We are preparing, we are accumulating capabilities, and when we are ready – we will open the gates of hell again on Hamas.”
Israel is expecting stronger support from the U.S. if the war resumes, in contrast to the 2024 conflict when the Biden Administration delayed the delivery of weapons and pushed for a ceasefire before Hamas was fully defeated.
The Trump Administration has released the weapons that the Biden Administration had withheld, and U.S. President Donald Trump has applied greater rhetorical pressure on Hamas than his predecessor. During a recent meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, Trump told the Israeli leader that he could “do whatever you need to do” to bring back the hostages Hamas continues to hold and to eliminate Hamas as a threat.
{Matzav.com}