WSJ: "Based on a New Strategy"
Israeli Military Eliminates Three Senior Hamas Officials Last Week
Israel has announced plans to significantly expand its ground operations in the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
On the 23rd (local time), the US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing multiple sources, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials have formulated this plan based on the belief that occupying the Gaza Strip territory can defeat Hamas.
To this end, Israel has deployed infantry units to the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip and redeployed forces to the 'Netzarim Corridor.' The Netzarim Corridor is a 6 km passage extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the Israeli border. It was an area from which the Israeli military completely withdrew during the ceasefire with Hamas.
Subsequently, the Israeli military advanced into the Tal al-Sultan area west of the southern Gaza city of Rafah and the Beit Hanoun area in northern Gaza on the same day.
The Israeli military issued a statement saying, "The siege attack on the Tal al-Sultan district of Gaza Strip has been completed," adding, "This operation aims to strengthen control over southern Gaza and expand the security zone."
Earlier, after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas expired on the 1st, Israel resumed fighting by launching large-scale airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on the 18th. Following this, on the 19th, ground forces were deployed to advance through various parts of the Gaza Strip, intensifying the clashes.
So far, Israel has maintained a policy of weakening Hamas through military pressure and then establishing a new authority to govern the Gaza Strip. The WSJ analyzed that this operation reflects a new strategy in which Israel directly occupies the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas.
In particular, it is reported that Netanyahu’s key close aides and hardliners, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who were newly appointed last November and this February respectively, agree with this approach.
Meanwhile, last week, the Israeli military eliminated three senior Hamas officials, including in Dalis. On the previous night, Hamas official Sala Al-Bardawil was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Those recently eliminated were all senior officials belonging to the Hamas political bureau elected in 2021.
According to the Israeli daily Times of Israel, out of the 20 officials elected at that time, a total of 11 have lost their lives during the Gaza war as of this day. Of the nine survivors, seven are believed to be staying outside the Gaza Strip.
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