Israel pushes deeper into Gaza with new military plan, eyes hostage deal

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Akram Chehayeb

Israel has launched a new military operation in Gaza, described as more intense than the previous campaign, “Operation Gideon's Chariot.” The operation is expected to proceed swiftly, ahead of any potential prisoner exchange or ceasefire agreement.

The primary objective of the operation is to take control of Beit Hanoun. According to Israel, it has only achieved 50 percent of its targets there so far, whether in terms of destroying tunnels or eliminating Hamas members.

The second is to take control of Gaza City, where the capacity to produce improvised explosive devices still exists and where two Hamas brigades are still active.

To carry out the operation, the Israeli army has brought five military divisions into the Gaza Strip, and officials emphasize that there will be no compromise on the return of hostages and the destruction of Hamas there.

These accelerated steps came after Hamas expressed satisfaction with the U.S. clarifications regarding guarantees to end the war, bringing the deal closer than ever before.

The deal is expected to be announced on Monday, during the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The deal includes the release of ten living hostages in five stages, during a sixty-day ceasefire, the handover of eighteen bodies of Israeli captives, and a ban on holding captive release celebrations, which Hamas has organized after every previous deal.

This deal is the first stage, during which the parties seek to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement.

Israel, which seeks to exit Gaza having achieved a central objective, has laid out a plan for intense combat and is also relying on informants.

According to an Israeli report, two new militias have been revealed in the Gaza Strip, whose members receive support with weapons and humanitarian aid from Israel and salaries from the Palestinian Authority.

The two militias have joined the ranks of the Yasser Abu Shabab militia, which Israel had used as a covert tool in Gaza. The group caused chaos in the Strip, seized control of aid distribution, and incited protests against Hamas.

Hamas is now giving Abu Shabab a deadline to turn himself into the judiciary on charges of treason, espionage for foreign entities, forming an armed cell, and armed rebellion.