IDF warns: Hamas constantly testing Yellow Line; hostilities could resume

The terrorists are probing soldiers’ alertness and preparing for escalation, the army says.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The IDF is preparing for renewed fighting in Gaza as Hamas continues to test the permeability of the Yellow Line that separates Israeli- and Hamas-held areas of the Strip, Walla reported Thursday.

The army has recorded 42 infiltration attempts along the de facto border since the beginning of November — an average of one per day.

Most of the incidents have taken place in the southern Strip, particularly around Khan Yunis.

Some terrorists were killed after opening fire on Israeli troops, while others were stopped before they could attack.

The IDF said Hamas has also been sending innocent civilians across the line in exchange for money, in order to test soldiers’ alertness, gather intelligence on response times, and plant explosive devices.

These attempts come in addition to sporadic clashes with terrorists emerging from tunnels to ambush troops on patrol or during operations.

“Hamas and the other terrorist organizations are looking for opportunities to attack forces and carry out attacks, and beyond that, they are preparing for escalation,” Southern Command sources told Walla. “This situation requires us to be constantly alert and to respond very quickly from the ground or from the air.”

“The forces must analyze the area, break routine and prepare anew each time so that the enemy does not understand how the IDF operates in the field,” they added.

All these violations of the cease-fire agreement signed on Oct. 10 “are further proof that [Hamas] is rehabilitating itself militarily,” reserve officers in the Gaza Division told the news outlet, and that “the goals of the war have not been achieved.”

The army sources warned that “the current situation cannot last much longer, and at this rate the IDF will have to attack … the territory held by Hamas.”

Under the U.S.-brokered peace plan, the second stage — following the return of all hostages — calls for Hamas’ disarmament, the destruction of its infrastructure, and the installation of a substitute civilian government in Gaza.

A multinational stabilization force and a Board of Peace are supposed to oversee the process, but no country has expressed willingness to confront Hamas over its weapons.

Hamas officials have repeatedly stated that the organization will surrender arms only to an officially recognized Palestinian state.

With both Washington and Jerusalem insisting that disarmament is essential, the minor-sounding attack the IDF is now warning about could be a precursor to forcing Hamas’ demilitarization “the hard way,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has put it.