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How Israel Plans to Escalate Its War on Hamas in Gaza

(Washington Post) Gerry Shih - As Israel's forces push back into Gaza after a two-month ceasefire with Hamas, its political and military leaders are considering plans for a fresh ground campaign that could include a military occupation of the entire enclave for months or more. New and more aggressive tactics will probably also include direct military control of humanitarian aid; targeting more of Hamas's civilian leadership; and evacuating women, children and verified noncombatants from neighborhoods to "humanitarian bubbles" and laying siege to those who remain. Some officials say that only a full-scale invasion now, followed by a lengthy counterinsurgency and deradicalization effort, would accomplish Israel's stated aim of eradicating Hamas, which had sparked the war. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the IDF's Gaza division, said, "Now there is new [IDF] leadership, there is the backup from the U.S., there is the fact that we have enough munitions, and the fact that we finished our main missions in the north and can concentrate on Gaza. The plans are decisive. There will be a full-scale attack and they will not stop until Hamas is eradicated completely." Israeli officials say they are still willing to negotiate with Hamas through mediators before launching any large-scale invasion.
2025-03-23 00:00:00
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