Israel now appears to be at a turning point in its war in Gaza, as several developments indicate that the war may soon break in Israel’s favor.
Israel Prepares to Ratchet Up War Significantly
According to current and former officials, Israel is now contemplating expansion of its war in Gaza, which may include occupying the entire Strip for months or more. Israel is considering the military taking over humanitarian aid, re-establishing humanitarian zones, directing people to evacuate to those zones, and waging war on those areas that do not evacuate. According to the former deputy commander of Israel’s Gaza Division, Israel will need five divisions to wage such a war, but is currently benefiting from a calmer northern front and greater political and munitions support from the Trump administration as compared to the Biden administration.
Additionally, Israel has made recent key tactical advances, including that its 36th division has moved to the Gaza border, according to not only the Lebanese publication Al Akhbarin, known to be sympathetic to Hezbollah, but also UAE-based Al Ain media, and the Jewish State has re-taken at least part of the Netzarim corridor, which splits northern and southern Gaza.
Increased Key Assassinations
Pro-Hezbollah Al Akhbarin has claimed that Israel has revived its “assassination” policy of arch-terrorists, stating that recently “the situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip has shifted from the framework of the air operation and military pressure on Hamas to the return of full-scale warfare, coinciding with an assassination campaign targeting a number of the movement’s leaders.”
The terrorist rag appears to be correct. In March alone, Israel stepped up its targeted assassinations on key Hamas and Hamas-adjacent figures, including:
- Isser Saadi, the head of Hamas in Jenin.
- Essam al-Da’alis, the most senior Hamas figure in Gaza and the head of Hamas’s government in Gaza.
- Ahmed Amar Abdullah Alhata, Hamas’s minister of justice.
- Bahajat Hassan Mohammed Abu-Sultan, Hamas’s chief of internal security.
- Mahmoud Marzouk Ahmed Abu-Watfa, Hamas’s minister of the interior and one of the leaders of Hamas’s internal security.
- Rashid Jahjuh, Hamas’s head of general security forces.
- Yasser Muhammad Harb Muca, a member of Hamas’s political bureau responsible for security affairs.
- Ayman Atsali, head of Hamas’s general security forces, Khan Yunis sector.
- Muhammad Al-Jamasi, head of Hamas’s emergency committee.
- Ismail Abd al-Aal, arch-terrorist of Islamic Jihad’s weapons smuggling unit.
The following terrorists were also targeted in an attack on Beit Lahia in the Northern Gaza Strip:
- Mostafa Mohammed Shaabah Hamad, a Hamas terrorist who took part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
- Mahmoud Yahya Rashdi Al-Sarraj, a terrorist of Hamas’s engineering division.
- Mahmoud Imad Hassan Aslim, a Hamas terrorist posing as a journalist.
- Bilal Mahmoud Fouad Abu Matar, a Hamas terrorist posing as a photographer.
- Mohammad Alaa Sobhi A-Jafeer, another Hamas terrorist.
Progress Made on Migration Options From Gaza
And on the diplomatic front, Israel is consulting multiple countries about taking in Gazans. Just like what the fall of the Berlin Wall was to the East German government, allowing Gazans to migrate en masse out of the Strip if they so choose could send a crippling blow to Hamas.
A recent survey has indicated that 52 percent of Gazans would be willing to relocate if they are given the opportunity, and an estimated 35,000 Gazans have already emigrated since the Oct. 7 attack. Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to facilitate the emigration of Gazans who wish to do so voluntarily. Egypt now appears willing to take in half a million Gazans temporarily. There are reports that Somaliland may take in Gazans in exchange for diplomatic recognition.
Israel may be on the precipice of defeating Hamas through a renewed military campaign, targeted assassinations, and diplomatic movement on the voluntary emigration of Gazans.
READ MORE from Steve Postal:
New Report: Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah Plotted for Years to Destroy Israel on October 7