Israel eyes military ‘escalation’ in Gaza after Hamas rebuffs fresh ceasefire deal

A more intense period of fighting in Gaza, Israel says, could spur a change in negotiations.

By Adam Kredo, The Washington Free Beacon

Israel is preparing a significant expansion of its military activity in Gaza over the next several days, according to Israeli media reports, a move that comes days after Hamas rejected Israel’s proposal for a temporary truce.

The IDF’s goal is to penetrate deeper into Gaza by targeting Hamas’s strongholds and seizing territory still held by the terror group, particularly in Rafah, the southern Gaza city near the border with Egypt, according to Israel’s Hebrew-language N12 news network, which said it expects “an escalation in IDF activity in the Gaza Strip” in “the coming days.”

The IDF late on Thursday advised Israel’s security cabinet to approve the new operations, arguing that the current war push in Gaza has not succeeded in bringing Hamas back to the negotiating table for a revamped hostage deal.

Israel reentered the strip in March, after Hamas rejected US-brokered efforts to extend a tumultuous hostage-ceasefire deal. Last week, Hamas rejected another proposal, this time from Israel, to cease fire for 45 days in exchange for the release of 10 hostages.

A more intense period of fighting in Gaza, Israel says, could spur a change in negotiations.

US President Donald Trump is broadly supportive of the revamped war effort, though in remarks made on Friday afternoon, he did encourage Israel to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Hamas is known to generate funds for its terrorism by stealing and selling such aid. Israel cut off the entry of food and other goods into the war-torn strip last month.

Israel has achieved “significant operational gains” since it restarted military operations in Gaza, according to IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, who briefed reporters during a Thursday webinar, hosted by the Jewish Institute for the National Security of America think tank.

During that time, Defrin said, the Jewish state has eliminated at least 35 “senior and mid-level” Hamas soldiers and commanders and destroyed more than 1,700 “targets and terrorist infrastructure sites.”

Hamas has responded in kind, conducting 26 rocket attacks from Gaza since Israel renewed its military campaign, according to Defrin.

“The goals of these operations are clear for us,” Defrin said. “Return of our hostages… eliminate Hamas’s ability to wage war and to control the Gaza Strip. And the day after… restore long-term security to the region.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, meanwhile, said on Friday that thousands of IDF infantry and reserve soldiers are “fighting bravely in Gaza to free the hostages and destroy Hamas terrorists.”

As part of these operations, the IDF is working to build “a comprehensive defense envelope for forces maneuvering from the air, land, and sea” and is also carrying out ground operations with “heavy weapons to thwart explosive devices and destroy threatening structures.”

Referring to those injured during these military campaigns, Katz said that the IDF’s “achievements are great, but the dangers are still great and the prices are heavy.”