The air force on Thursday attacked a Gazan terror cell in Khan Yunis, the second such attack in two days. These attacks had ceased since the US-Hamas deal in late July.
IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post that the cell, while not very senior, was nonetheless in the process of planning and preparing an operation against the military.
According to the sources, the IDF has halted its attacks on Hamas leadership and on the terror group’s members involved in the October 7 invasion ever since the US-Hamas deal. However, they said that the IDF is still carrying out strikes against operatives whom it knows are preparing attacks.
This means that the IDF is willing to attack terrorists to thwart their attacks before it is too late.
Unlike the West Bank, where the military and Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) tend to arrest these parties, the IDF cannot do so in Gaza. It cannot go in and out of areas controlled by Hamas in Gaza, meaning that airstrikes are still its preferred tool.
IDF strikes Hamas terrorists in Gaza Strip as BoP deals stalls
Currently, the IDF continues to eliminate Hamas fighters who approach the Yellow Line dividing the Israeli-controlled portion of Gaza from the Hamas-controlled section.
The IDF rejects allegations that it is holding its soldiers back from defending themselves. Although not explicit, the implication has been that the US is on board with the IDF’s current approach until Hamas starts to disarm. Hamas has yet to even begin the disarmament process.
On Wednesday, the IDF undertook its first preemptive strike against a Hamas official since the late July deal. Shortly after that deal, the US essentially instructed Israel to stop attacking Gaza; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complied.
Since then, there had been a limited number of instances where the IDF killed Hamas fighters near the border when they presented an immediate threat. Wednesday’s airstrike was the first to break that trend. It was against a Hamas terror cell commander in northern Gaza, who was nowhere near the border and did not pose an imminent threat.
The IDF said he was killed because he was planning to order or carry out future terrorist attacks. The United States did not condemn the attack.
The late July deal was supposed to lead to Hamas beginning the process of handing over its weapons. Israel’s airstrike was, in a sense, a reminder of that deal. The US, for its part, looked the other way to remind Hamas that it could easily remove its restraint on Israel.
It is also possible that the cabinet and the IDF ordered the airstrike in response to Hamas’s recent planning of a potential large-scale military drill. Notably, Israeli officials received public criticism for not firing on Hamas.
Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF issued a statement noting that while the Hamas drill never took place, an airstrike signaled that Israel would not approve it.