Despite the rumors of a breakthrough in negotiations in Qatar, the IDF is said to have officially launched the first stage of Gideon’s Chariots, the operation whose goal it is to reoccupy the entire Gaza Strip and destroy Hamas.
Like Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon, Israel preempted this campaign in Gaza with a decapitation blow, but taking out Mohammad Sinwar and tens of other high ranking Hamas officials in a multi blast attack near the European Hospital in Khan Yunis on Wednesday night. Sinwar’s death was confirmed only today.
“Over the past day, IDF troops in the Southern Command, both the standing army and reserves, began a broad ground operation throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, as part of the start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the IDF said in an official statement.
“Over the past week, the Israeli Air Force conducted a preliminary wave of strikes, striking over 670 Hamas terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip to disrupt enemy preparations and support ground operations. Among the targets struck were weapon storage facilities, underground terrorist infrastructure sites, anti-tank missile launchers as well as terrorists. The Israeli Air Force continues to provide consistent support to operating troops in the Gaza Strip.”
The IDF has been striking Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip and sending armored brigades further into Gaza, both in the south and in the outskirts of Gaza City. All non-combatants have been sent to the humanitarian zone in Gaza’s south. The army has taken control of new areas and widening its control over large areas it occupies.
To the right is a map put out by the British Guardian that appears to show the goal of the first stage of the current operation. Hamas is currently breaking apart and by splitting the strips into three sections just after taking out Hamas’ leadership in Gaza, it may be enough to break the group down so each area can be tackled on its own.
After all, without a centralized leadership, local leaders may opt for exile in return for handing over living hostages. Sinwar was blocking that.
In he next few days as negotiations with Qatar over hostages in Gaza continue to fail, the IDF will shrink the remaining cantons in Gaza further, filtering non-combatants from Hamas who remain in the tunnels. The more territory shrinks the more the IDF will be further in control of humanitarian supplies and evacuation corridors for Gazans not actively waging war against Israel.
This stage may last for a few weeks, but if Hamas’ leadership really has collapsed and Gazans want to finish what their elected leadership started, then independent deals will start to happen as soon as the pressure reaches the inner areas of the built up places in the three major cantons. At this point, the IDF is pushing harder than it has since the beginning of the war knowing full well that despite the take out of Hamas’ leadership, many of Hamas’ fighters are willing to die fighting rather than leave with an agreement and release of hostages. With this in mind, the war has a potential to continue until all areas are further reoccupied and liberated from Hamas control.
No matter the timeline, what is clear is that the war is in its final phase and Gaza is set to be fully reoccupied by Israel for the first time since 1994, when Israel handed Arab majority areas over to the PLO, beginning the failed Oslo Accords.