Hamas has until May 16 to reach hostage deal, senior defense official says

Operation Gideon’s Chariots – Israel poised to implement plan for conquest of Gaza if no hostage deal reached by May 16th, senior Israeli official warns.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israel is giving Hamas an 11-day window to reach a deal with Israel for the return of the remaining 59 hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, it will face the total takeover of Gaza by IDF forces, a senior Israeli defense official warned.

Before dawn on Monday, the Israeli security cabinet voted unanimously to approve a proposed expanded ground operation in the Gaza Strip dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.”

According to the senior Israeli official, the new operation was drafted on the basis of the Rafah Model, used by IDF forces during the occupation of the Rafah district of southern Gaza following the area’s capture in the spring of 2024.

Following the invasion of Gaza after October 7, 2023, the IDF has largely maintained a light footprint on the ground in Gaza, temporarily seizing areas in the Strip to clear terrorist infrastructure before withdrawing.

While the IDF maintained control over buffer zones on the periphery of the Gaza Strip, its presence has been sporadic outside of the Rafah area.

If implemented, however, Gideon’s Chariots would see the establishment of permanent control over the Gaza Strip.

“Unlike in the past, the IDF will remain in every area it captures, to prevent the return of terrorism, and will treat every cleared area according to the ‘Rafah model’, where all threats were flattened and the area was incorporated into the security buffer zone,” the senior official said.

“A strong protective envelope will be provided to maneuvering forces from land, air, and sea, including the use of heavy tools to neutralize explosives and destroy threatening structures,” he added.

Gazan civilians will be evacuated from the northern and central Gaza Strip to southern Gaza to facilitate large-scale IDF attacks on Hamas forces and to prevent Hamas from seizing humanitarian aid earmarked for Gaza families.

“A central component of the plan is the large-scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population from combat zones, including northern Gaza, to southern areas. This is aimed at separating civilians from Hamas terrorists to enable the IDF operational freedom of action,” the official said.

He added that initially, the ban on aid transfers to Gaza will continue during the new operation, though aid will at a later date be handed over to Gaza families at secured depots in the southern part of the Strip.

The plan will be set into motion if no hostage deal is reached by the end of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week, the defense official said. “The force buildup before the start of the ground maneuver is designed to provide a window of opportunity until the end of the U.S. President’s visit to the region, during which a hostage deal based on the ‘Witkoff model’ could be finalized.”

“If a hostage deal is not reached, Operation Gideon’s Chariots will begin with full force and will not stop until all of its objectives are achieved,” he stated. “The voluntary emigration plan for Gaza residents, especially for those concentrated in the south and outside of Hamas control, will also be part of the operation’s goals.”

President Trump is set to arrive in Saudi Arabia on May 13. He will remain in the region until May 16.