IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is implementing more aggressive tactics to secure total victory over Hamas in Gaza, which are expected to include direct military oversight of humanitarian aid, intensified targeting of Hamas’s civilian leadership, and the evacuation of women, children, and vetted noncombatants to designated “humanitarian bubbles” while laying siege to those who remain, The Washington Post’s Gerry Shih reported on Sunday.
If these maximalist tactics are implemented, they would mark a significant escalation of the 17-month-long operation, which the Hamas Health Ministry claims has resulted in over 50,000 Arab deaths. The war has also claimed the lives of more than 400 Israeli soldiers.
They would also represent a major shift for the Israeli military, whose previous leaders were wary of becoming entrenched in Gaza. A full-scale invasion and occupation could require up to five army divisions, according to sources familiar with the planning, potentially straining the IDF which relies heavily on reservists whose absence from civilian life for prolonged periods impacts their personal lives as well as Israel’s economy.
Analysts say the leadership change within Israel’s military establishment has led to a more hawkish stance. Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir have replaced officials who at times clashed with Netanyahu and objected to his combative strategy after the October 7 massacre.
For instance, Last year, Netanyahu directed the IDF to oversee humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza to prevent Hamas from diverting supplies and profiting from their sale. Israeli assessments estimated that Hamas made $1 billion through skimming. However, then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi opposed the move, arguing it would unnecessarily endanger soldiers and expand the IDF’s role beyond its primary mission, according to current and former Israeli officials.
In contrast, today’s defense leadership—Zamir and Katz—are openly considering not only controlling food distribution in Gaza but taking over the entire Strip.
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Shih interviewed Amir Avivi, a former deputy commander of the IDF’s Gaza division, who said the campaign last year was constrained by disagreements between political and military leaders over tactics and strategy, and by the Biden administration’s concerns about harm to Arab civilians. However, the arrival of President Trump on the scene in the United States, coupled with personnel changes in Israel’s defense establishment have loosened those constraints.
Avivi pointed out that with a new IDF leadership, sustained support from the US, especially in delivering the heavy Munitions embargoed by Biden, and the de facto end of the campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel 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. We’ll see,” he said.
Israel has destroyed nearly all of Hamas’s 24 fighting battalions, leaving only a few thousand militants in Gaza. However, fully eliminating the remaining forces would likely require maintaining control over the territory – which may renew Jewish settlement in the Strip, but could also ignite yet another conflict between the right-wing majority and the volatile left-wing minority in the country.
WE’RE KEEPING GAZA
Supporters of a more prolonged and intensified operation in Gaza argue that last year’s campaign merely allowed Hamas to reemerge from its tunnels in January, appearing organized and in uniform. They contend that the current political conditions provide an opportunity to escalate military pressure and, if necessary, maintain control over Gaza.
Daniella Weiss, chairwoman of the Nahala settlement movement and candidate for a Nobel Peace Prize, believes Peace will come when all parts of the Land of Israel are under Jewish rule, including Gaza. She says that “Peace is completeness (a play on the words Shalom and Shlemut). When all parts of the earth are complete, we will reach true peace.”
Although the world has yet to fully embrace terms associated with expanding settlements and restoring territories like Gaza to Jewish control, Weiss remains unwavering in her beliefs. In an interview with the right-leaning Channel 14, she asserted that settlement in the Judean and Samarian mountains, along with the expansion of Jewish communities in the region, are the true drivers of security and peace.
Last Friday, Katz suggested Israel could go beyond temporarily occupying Gazan territory and move toward annexation should Hamas refuse to make concessions on the hostages. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel,” Katz said in a statement.
