WhatsappThe IDF continues targeting Hamas operatives involved in rebuilding the terrorist organization’s military capabilities, exposing the growing challenge of enforcing a ceasefire against an enemy that refuses to abandon its war against Israel.
While much of Israel remains focused on the political aftermath of the elections and the formation of the next government, the war against Hamas has not ended.
The IDF announced that it eliminated four Hamas terrorists in separate airstrikes in northern Gaza, targeting operatives involved in planning attacks against Israeli forces and civilians while attempting to rebuild the terrorist organization’s military infrastructure.
The operations underscore a fundamental reality that Israel cannot afford to ignore: A ceasefire does not mean Hamas has abandoned its objective of destroying Israel.
Four Terrorists, Four Different Threats
According to the IDF, two Hamas military operatives were eliminated in separate strikes on Saturday.
The first, Nabil Hamad, headed a department within Hamas’s recruitment apparatus. His responsibility was strengthening and expanding the organization’s military capabilities inside Gaza.
The second, Muhannad Nader Mahmoud Dahdouh, was a Hamas sniper commander who actively participated in combat and carried out attacks against Israeli forces.
Two additional terrorists were eliminated in separate strikes on October 22.
Wael Nayef Fahmi Maslam was a member of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre.
Arafat Kamal Muhammad Arair commanded a cell within Hamas’s rocket forces.
These were not random targets. Each represented a different component of Hamas’s military infrastructure: recruitment, battlefield operations, elite assault capabilities, and rocket warfare.
Together, they illustrate the broader effort Hamas is making to restore the military machine Israel has spent years fighting to dismantle.
The Dangerous Illusion of a Ceasefire
The IDF stated that the four terrorists had been involved in advancing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians and restoring Hamas’s operational capabilities, in what the military described as systematic violations of the ceasefire.
This is precisely the strategic challenge Israel faces.
Hamas does not need to launch another October 7 tomorrow to remain dangerous. It needs time to recruit new fighters, rebuild command structures, replenish weapons stockpiles, and prepare for the next opportunity.
Every month that Hamas is allowed to reorganize potentially brings it closer to recovering capabilities Israel has sacrificed so much to destroy.
Israel has experienced the consequences of allowing terrorist organizations to rebuild under the protection of temporary quiet.
The disastrous assumptions that preceded October 7 must never return.
Israel Must Preserve Its Freedom of Action
The IDF emphasized that Southern Command forces remain deployed according to the existing agreement and will continue acting to eliminate threats.
That principle must remain nonnegotiable, regardless of international pressure or diplomatic arrangements.
The United States and other international actors may view a ceasefire as an essential step toward regional stabilization. But any diplomatic framework that allows Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities risks producing another round of devastating conflict.
The objective cannot simply be the absence of immediate rocket fire.
The objective must be ensuring that Hamas never again possesses the military capacity to carry out another October 7.
As Israel’s political leaders negotiate the composition of the next government, they must recognize that the country’s security challenges have not disappeared with the election.
The elimination of these four terrorists is another reminder that Hamas remains an active threat, even during a ceasefire.
Israel must continue dismantling that threat wherever it emerges.
Because the ultimate measure of victory will not be how long the next ceasefire lasts.
It will be whether Israel has permanently denied Hamas the ability to rebuild its terrorist army.
