The International Stabilization Force (ISF), which was created to manage security and governance in Gaza, has begun to receive military equipment that it might use in the effort to disarm Hamas.
According to sources in the Southern Command, over the weekend, dozens of vehicles, some of which are bulletproof, were transferred to Gaza and handed over to American forces from the ISF’s headquarters in Kiryat Gat.
This transfer also marks part of the preparations being made for the ISF to take over security responsibilities in parts of the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, Walla learned on Friday that the Southern Command was preparing for the possibility of resuming the fight with Hamas should it need to disarm the terrorist organization.
The IDF has been occupying about 70% of the Gaza Strip as it works to rid the enclave of terrorists, tunnels, and weapons. Hamas continues to rule over the remaining 30%.
Sources involved in the regional process said the progress of the diplomatic route was dependent on an effective national force within Gaza disarming Hamas and taking command of the enclave.
In practice, however, Hamas continues to dominate much of Gaza, refusing to disarm, and the Americans are pushing to advance processes over Israel’s head.
Hamas maintains control in Gaza, refuses to disarm
This is contrary to the position of the Israeli political echelon, which would prefer to disarm Hamas before advancing reconstruction procedures.
The fear among Israeli security officials is that the US will create a more complex reality in the Gaza Strip, where there will be areas supposedly free of terrorism under the responsibility of the ISF, territories controlled by Hamas, and regions controlled by the IDF.
“Hamas knows how to exploit loopholes and profit from the reconstruction process. It will not easily give up power,” security officials told Walla this past week.
According to IDF estimates, terrorist organizations in Gaza maintain about 27,000 weapons, including thousands of unassembled pieces of rockets and mortars, and a large variety of explosive devices, some of which may have been created from unexploded air force bombs and missiles.
In addition, Hamas has drones, motorized paragliders, watercraft, diving equipment, an intelligence network, a basic hierarchical command structure consisting of battalion, company, and platoon commanders assigned by sector, and a renewed tunnel-digging system.
Security officials believe that Hamas’s leadership is focused on its own survival and on consolidating its governance.
It is likely not provoking the IDF or carrying out attacks because it assesses that, as with the restraint the US imposed on the IDF regarding strikes in Lebanon, a similar situation could develop in Gaza.
Hamas preparing for possibility of renewed IDF Gaza operations
Nevertheless, Hamas’s leadership is preparing for the possibility that the IDF will attempt to maneuver deep into Gaza City areas that remain under Hamas’s full control.
It is the IDF’s belief that Hamas’s preparations may initially be focused on defense. Nevertheless, it could quickly shift to offensive operations against IDF forces rather than against Israeli communities.
The reason for this is that the terrorist organization might understand that attacking Israel’s civilian population could bring about the loss of the battle over international public opinion.
With this in mind, Southern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor is pushing to resume operations against Hamas, with an emphasis on areas where no IDF soldiers or tanks have entered since the beginning of the war.
Hamas is stockpiling weapons and hiding senior members of the terrorist organization in these areas.
Ultimately, despite the severe blows it has suffered over the past 1,000 days since the October 7 massacre, Hamas continues to govern the Gaza Strip.
It continues to pose a tangible threat to Israel’s civilian population, while the US is constraining Israel’s freedom of action.
The writing on the wall is unmistakably clear: Hamas continues to strengthen its military capabilities and assert its dominance.