Israeli army prepares for possible resumption of fighting “échelle grande†in the Gaza Strip, reveals this June 10 morning the Israeli daily Ha’Aretz, quoting IDF officials according to whom Hamas took advantage of the context of the war in Iran to rebuild its military and organizational capabilities.
According to these sources, the Israeli Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, has approved in recent weeks several operational plans presented by the IDF Southern Command, deployed in Gaza, relating to the resumption of land operations in the Palestinian enclave.
These plans presented to the government are based on Israeli security information according to which “Hamas has managed to restore part of its infrastructure, including sections of its tunnel network damaged during the conflict†, noted Ha’Aretz.
“The IDF also believes that the group has rebuilt its headquarters and command and control systems after the deaths of many senior military officials,†including the last two leaders of the group’s armed branch, Ezzedine Al-Haddad and Mohammed Odeh, killed successively by Israel in May.
“Enter areas previously avoidedâ€
Hamas would have taken advantage of the context of the war against Iran and Hezbollah to rebuild its capabilities, but also of the lack of progress in the American plan relating to the enclave since the ceasefire last October.
The second phase of this peace agreement, which concerns in particular the disarmament of the Palestinian group, is still stalling despite efforts to reach an agreement between the Palestinian factions on future governance and the arms monopoly.
On the Israeli side, the government has still not decided on a new offensive, but senior IDF officers are putting pressure internally to accelerate the implementation of the plans approved by Eyal Zamir, with the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicates Ha’Aretz.
In the event of a resumption of the war, the Israeli army should, according to military sources, “enter areas largely avoided until now for fear of the presence of hostages, including parts of the displaced camps in central Gaza, the area [humanitaire] of Al-Mawasi, where many displaced Palestinians are concentrated, and large areas of Gaza City… further reveals Israeli daily life.
At the end of May, Benjamin Netanyahu had already ordered the army to extend its control over the Palestinian enclave, until it occupied 70%, compared to 53% at the end of the war. Since October, the IDF has already encroached on ground beyond the “yellow line” (separating the eastern sector, under Israeli occupation, from the western sector, still under Hamas domination) and currently occupies 64% of the strip, according to the Israeli press.
/2022/12/02/638994d9d5adf_61168cfc8256bf7ea5ef3720-1.png "DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Iran responded to Washington’s overnight strikes by targeting American military bases")
