Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi recently approved the mobilization of additional troops to the Gaza Strip in a bid to increase pressure on Hamas to agree to a hostage deal.
The Lebanon truce and the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria have enabled Israel to refocus its military effort on the Hamas-ruled territory in the south, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Monday.
The IDF chief is expected to hold meetings this week in which military plans for the Gaza Strip will be put forward for his approval.
Israeli intelligence agencies have detected signs that recent military operations in Gaza have been successful in adding pressure on Hamas, with the Islamic terrorist organization lamenting the loss of territory and some of its ruling power over the population, Channel 12 reported.
The Israeli defense establishment is preparing to take advantage of this and expand the military activities against Hamas, the report added.
The IDF holds approximately 30% of the territory in the Gaza Strip. This includes areas in northern Gaza, the Netzarim Corridor in the center and the Rafah Corridor on the Sinai border.
In a significant counter-terrorism operation on Saturday, security forces killed around 20 terrorists at a Hamas command center in Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
Security forces apprehended more than 240 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, in one of the largest groups of terrorists taken into custody at a single location since the start of the war. Among the terrorists arrested were 15 men who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities.
The hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, was taken into custody as a Hamas terrorist suspect, the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said.
“The terrorists who were brought in are expected to provide valuable intelligence for the continuation of the war efforts,” the army said.
The raid in the heart of the Jabalia camp lasted less than hour and Israeli forces safely evacuated the civilian population from the hospital area.