Israel’s leadership is planning to resume the war against Hamas within four to six weeks with a significantly changed strategy, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
A senior Western diplomat told the Times of Israel that Israel is preparing for a return to war.
The Beacon’s report comes amid uncertainty over the continuation of the ceasefire, with its first phase coming to an end this week. On Thursday, Israel declared that it would not withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, while the Hamas terrorist organization continues to insist on an end to the war and to remain in power in Gaza.
If the fighting resumes, the IDF’s tactics will see a dramatic shift, the Beacon reported, citing “several current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of high-level discussions.”
The main catalyst for the change will be incoming IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. According to the report, Zamir has been tasked with formulating a plan for Israeli forces to swiftly capture the entire Gaza Strip, deploying a significantly larger number of soldiers at once than in previous operations.
Until now, the IDF’s ground operation strategy has involved large-scale raids, with multiple brigades advancing into a specific area to eliminate terrorists and destroy infrastructure before withdrawing. This approach has successfully eliminated a significant portion of Hamas fighters and rendered most of its battalions inoperative.
However, the withdrawals enabled Hamas to re-establish its control over most parts of the enclave. The terror group has been busy recruiting new members and attempting to restore its capabilities.
The new plan calls for the simultaneous deployment of four to five divisions across the Gaza Strip while the civilian population will be relocated to designated humanitarian zones, where all aid will be exclusively provided.
“There will be no aid outside the humanitarian zones,” Kobi Michael, a former senior Israeli military intelligence official told the Beacon.
“This will prevent Hamas from continuing to steal all the humanitarian aid and will increase pressure on the group through the local population.”
Some elements of the proposal resemble the “Generals’ Plan,” which was presented to the political leadership but, so far, has not been implemented.
Hezi Nehama, a former Israeli colonel and one of the authors of the “Generals’ Plan,” told the Beacon that the new plan “will look different than what we saw in the war until now.”
According to Nehama, Zamir estimates that the operation would take up to six months.
An anonymous government official told the Beacon that Israeli cabinet ministers have “completely rejected” the IDF approach to the fighting until now and accused outgoing IDF chief, Herzi Halevi, of “doing everything he can to prevent victory in the war.”
“Behind the scenes, there are discussions with Zamir, which are much more constructive,” the official added. “We hope to see him take leadership of the military and execute his plans.”
Nehama said that Zamir rejected Halevi’s latest plans in a recent meeting.
“He told the prime minister and the defense minister that he would present them with another plan, much more aggressive and decisive with many more troops involved.”
Zamir is reportedly set to present his plan to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz soon after taking office next week.
While Zamir’s plan will significantly change the military’s strategy, it reportedly doesn’t include new initiatives for the “day after” the war and the open question of who will rule the enclave in place of Hamas.
The Western diplomat told the Times that Israel will continue to prioritize the destruction of Hamas, believing that proposing any alternative while Hamas remains in power would be futile.
He called this approach “misguided,” arguing that Israel should be planning ahead while fighting is still going on.
“Otherwise, what you will have is indefinite Israeli occupation and Hamas insurgency.”
