Jerusalem is planning to resume the war in Gaza in four to six weeks in a decisive campaign to wipe out Hamas, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday.
The plan is to conquer the entire Gaza Strip in one fell swoop with more than 50,000 soldiers, relocating the civilian population to humanitarian zones, and waging a “ruthless ground campaign” in terrorist-heavy areas that will receive no humanitarian aid, the report suggests.
The campaign is to commence with heavy aerial bombardments, followed by a reduction of the humanitarian aid entering the Strip. Israel Defense Forces divisions would simultaneously enter the Strip in the north, center and south, carving it into three parts.
Citing several current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter, the news outlet reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed incoming IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir to develop the plan, which is projected for completion when he steps into office on Thursday.
The general estimates that the war will end in six months or less, per the report.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF), is quoted as saying that the war this time “is going to be decisive. Israel will use every tool it has to conquer Gaza and eradicate Hamas.”
Col. (res.) Hezi Nehama, who during the war publicly endorsed the Generals’ Plan, calling for the blockade of northern Gaza, said, according to the report, “We’re going to see four to five divisions simultaneously attack in the north, in the center and in the south, to occupy every area and clear out the enemy. It will look different than what we saw in the war until now.”
Professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University, said that outside the humanitarian zones, no external aid will enter Gaza. “This will prevent Hamas from continuing to steal all the humanitarian aid and will increase pressure on the group through the local population,” he said.
The war could be paused if the Hamas leadership agrees to free hostages, or if it agrees to disarm and go into exile, the report adds.
Fifty-nine abductees remain captive in Gaza, at least 35 of them are believed to have died.
With Hamas also reportedly preparing for the resumption of the war, the IDF has raised its alert level around the Palestinian enclave.
Nehama said that Hezbollah’s weakened position in Lebanon permits Israel to shift many of its forces southward to deal with Hamas.
“We always had divisions in the north, and now we don’t need divisions in the north because Hezbollah is not a threat. So we can take those divisions and put them all in Gaza at the same time, and this is very important,” he said.
According to Nehama, Zamir rejected the latest plan formulated by outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi as too timid.
“The next chief of staff didn’t like what he heard,” Nehama relayed. “He told the prime minister and the defense minister that he would present them with another plan, much more aggressive and decisive with many more troops involved.”
With the Trump administration apparently giving Jerusalem a blank check in its dealings with Hamas, the combat in Gaza, if resumed, is expected to be waged with less restraint on the part of Israel.
