Report: Hamas seeks large-scale confrontation with Israel, warn IDF officials

Israeli defense officials observed that Hamas appears willing to engage in another significant conflict with the Jewish state.

By: World Israel News Staff

According to an assessment by Israeli defense officials, the Hamas terror group in Gaza appears willing to ramp up armed conflict with Israel, reported Haaretz on Monday.

Cooperation from Palestinian Islamic Jihad has emerged as a new tool in Hamas’ arsenal, with the two terror organizations sharing responsibility for rocket attacks on Israeli civilian targets. For the time being, it appears that the Islamist groups are willing to work together, at least for the purpose of preparing to battle Israel.

With hopes of marshaling support to rehabilitate the Gaza Strip, Hamas sees an intensified confrontation with Israel as an avenue to address Palestinian humanitarian issues in the coastal enclave.

The Israeli sources on which the Haaretz report relied indicated that Hamas’ decision to confront Israel had already been made, making a wide-ranging military conflict inevitable at this point.

Among the reasons this level of conflict appears to be in the offing is the refusal on the part of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to disarm the terror group, which remains a precondition for Israel and a number of other nations who may be willing to assist in the rebuilding process in Gaza.

The Trump administration’s plan to help Gaza by directing hundreds of millions of dollars from Gulf States to infrastructure projects in the strip was already met with hostility from Palestinian leaders, which accused the White House of trying to “bring down” Palestinian Authority in the Arab press.

Hamas, for its part, has attempted to keep the situation in Gaza at the top of Israel’s agenda via months-long violent rioting along the border and daily arson attacks using kites and balloons. This week, the IDF produced proof that the Gaza-based arson attacks are nothing less than a Hamas-directed terror operation.