Report: Israel preparing for new Gaza ground offensive

IDF drafts plans for operation to forcibly disarm Hamas, with experts predicting it could be “easier and faster” than previous rounds of fighting.

By World Israel News Staff

Israel’s military is gearing up for a possible new ground operation in the Gaza Strip, multiple sources told The Wall Street Journal, as Israel and the US weigh their responses to Hamas’ ongoing refusal to disarm.

According to a report published on Saturday, both Hamas and Israel are preparing for a new round of fighting, as questions linger regarding the future of the fragile ceasefire in Gaza.

Since the truce went into effect in October, Hamas has sought to rebuild its military capabilities, assembling new weapons and recruiting Gazans – including large numbers of teenagers – to replace terrorists killed during two years of fighting.

With the massive increase in the amount of aid entering Gaza, Hamas has also been able to refill its coffers, controlling the bulk of aid entering the enclave and selling incoming goods to civilians.

An Israeli official cited in the report said the IDF has no immediate plans to carry out large-scale operations in the nearly 50% of the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas.

However, the official added that if Hamas remains steadfast in its refusal to hand over its arsenal, Israel’s military will eventually be called upon to disarm Hamas by force.

The Trump administration is continuing its efforts to convince Hamas to agree to some formula for disarmament, while at the same time putting together the administrative bodies which will be tasked with governing Gaza and overseeing aid transfers and reconstruction.

Israel is, for the time being, willing to hold off on confronting Hamas over its failure to disarm, with the IDF likely to be deployed in the near future on Israel’s northern border for some form of campaign against Hezbollah, after the December 31 disarmament deadline passed.

The rising specter of a possible new war with Iran has also complicated plans for a new ground campaign in Gaza, with Tehran threatening Israel repeatedly over the past few days.

Ultimately, the sources cited in Saturday’s report said that Israel will need to confront Hamas if no deal can be reached on disarmament.

Security experts say that confrontation could come either in the form of a rapid takeover of Gaza or a gradual, piecemeal approach.

“The army is ready and can do both,” said Amir Avivi, a retired IDF general and head of the Bithonistim group of former Israeli officers.

Erez Winner, a former IDF senior planner now serving as a research fellow at the Israel Centre for Grand Strategy, said that unlike previous Gaza operations, any future Israeli campaigns would be able to proceed quickly, given the fact that all the living hostages have been returned and most Gazans are already living in tent cities and can be easily relocated.

“It will be much faster and easier than people want to believe.”