The IDF is preparing for its largest mobilization since the war began, in case the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip collapses and Israel resumes its offensive. These preparations come amid the ongoing crisis over the hostage deal with Hamas and a proposal by President Donald Trump, stating that Israel will restart the war if all hostages are not returned by this Saturday at noon (Netanyahu: Ceasefire Ends Unless Hostages are Freed on Saturday).
Hamas for its part appears to be primarily concerned about potential surprise assassinations by Israeli forces, particularly with the recent return of reconnaissance aircraft armed with missiles over several areas of the Gaza Strip. This is viewed as a violation of the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates a no-fly period of 10 hours on days without hostage releases and 12 hours on days when a handover takes place. However, in the past two days, these aircraft have reportedly been flying for extended hours, raising further tensions.
?⚡️ الإعلام الإسرائيلي مذهول:
غزة تضج بأعضاء حماس مجدداً؛ هذه المرة كتيبة عسكرية كاملة من المقاومين ظهرت خلال صفقة التبادل في ميدان فلسطين بقطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/AUnR6v2mlB
— الموجز الروسي | Russia news ?? (@mog_Russ) January 25, 2025
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, a political official issued a statement endorsing Trump’s remarks and calling for “the release of our hostages,” without clarifying whether this referred to all hostages. Subsequent statements from political officials and Israeli sources indicated that Israel sought to continue negotiations for their release. They also suggested that if Hamas withdrew its announcement of a freeze on the upcoming talks scheduled for Saturday, the deal’s implementation would proceed. Later, a fourth statement was issued by a senior Israeli official, explicitly affirming that the government and cabinet “adhere to US President Trump’s announcement,” stating that “everyone will leave on Saturday.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced: “From the beginning, I said that it is forbidden to negotiate with the devil. And now we have signed a bad deal and the devil is standing in our midst and announcing that he refuses to release the hostages in the next heartbeat on Shabbat. Hamas is not only threatening. Hamas is cruelly manipulating the families of the hostages, their broken hearts, manipulating Israeli society and tearing it apart from within.”
The IDF Spokesman announced that following the development with Hamas, the IDF decided to divert several regular units from other sectors and mobilize several reserve units to increase the number of forces in the south. According to the IDF Spokesman, the army is preparing for a variety of scenarios based on ground forces, the air force, the navy, and additional capabilities.
Currently, two divisions in the Gaza perimeter area are responsible for defense – the 162nd and 143rd (the Gaza Division). Starting Tuesday night, many regular forces were mobilized to reinforce the area and prepare for further action if necessary. Alongside the regular battalions, special units were also diverted to the south to operate under the divisions.
There are currently no changes to home front instructions, except for the cancellation of the planned Tu B’Shvat planting event. Situation assessments are ongoing, and updates will be provided as needed. Meanwhile, plans and battle procedures are being reviewed for potential continuation. All forces in the Southern Command remain under curfew until further notice. Several brigades, in addition to those already in the field, are on standby as reserves and will be deployed in the south if needed. Additional forces, including divisions—both regular and reserve—are in preparation and will be activated based on developments.
Gaza Strip Arabs are increasingly fearful of a renewed war, while Hamas is concerned about potential Israeli “treachery” targeting its leaders and operatives. This anxiety stems from shifting political and security conditions, which suggest the second-phase negotiations may fail, leading to a resumption of hostilities.
Hamas’s decision to halt the handover of the sixth batch of Israeli hostages was expected by observers. Sources within the terrorist group had previously indicated to the pro-Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas was considering delaying the release of any more Israeli hostages.
Field sources within Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Qassam Brigades’ intelligence service and senior leadership had issued a directive instructing all political and military leaders to once again stop using mobile phones, which many had resumed using since the ceasefire began. The directive also ordered them to go into hiding to prevent tracking.
According to these sources, this directive was initially planned for implementation at the end of the first phase, on the fortieth day of the ceasefire. However, political and battlefield developments have accelerated its enforcement due to fears of what the directive called “Zionist treachery.”
