IDF commanders in Gaza said the recent decision to operate in the northern part of the Strip was taken without due deliberation and appears to be aimed at pressuring civilians in the area to return south.
According to senior Israeli Defense Force (IDF) officials, via the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz”, the Israeli government has stopped trying to resume hostage negotiations and is trying to gradually annex most of the Gaza Strip. On the one hand, the Benjamin Netanyahu-led administration imposed an ever-increasing blockade throughout the months of negotiations, which proved completely futile; And, on the other hand, trying to get rid of the Palestinian population north of Gaza, going south again, in a seemingly endless ‘back and forth’.
In a debate out of the public eye, the Israeli newspaper says those responsible say the chances of reaching an agreement on the hostages have dwindled. One of the reasons is that since the talks were suspended, there has been no discussion among the international actors involved. In other words, the United States, Qatar and Egypt would have come to the conclusion that they have simply wasted their time. And, the newspaper says, Israel’s political leaders have not held any discussions with the various units of Homeland Security about the hostage situation – a charge they say has always been the extremist side of the process against any negotiations. Hamas won the internal dispute over the moderates.
Military commanders on the ground who spoke to Haaretz say the recent decision to launch operations in northern Gaza was made without any in-depth discussion on the matter. In this context, the only objective of these measures seems to be to put pressure on the local population and to create a kind of buffer zone that separates the Palestinians from their neighbors as much as possible.
The paper also says that the move lays the foundation for the government’s decision to implement the so-called ‘surrender plan’ of Major General (reserve) Giora Island. The plan foresees that all residents of northern Gaza will be evacuated to humanitarian zones in the south – those who decide to stay will be classified as Hamas members and therefore may be legitimate military targets (from Israel’s point of view).
The IFD launched the current operation in northern Gaza after the failure of the last round of hostage and cease-fire negotiations. At the end of the talks, Hamas appears to have imposed a new decision: ordering its fighters to prevent Israeli rescue operations at all costs, including executing hostages if troops approach.