Israel Reportedly Prepares for Possible Return to Gaza City

Israel’s security establishment is preparing for the possibility of renewed ground operations in the Gaza Strip, with Gaza City at the center of operational planning, the Walla news site reported Sunday morning. According to assessments, if there is no significant change in Hamas’s conduct or willingness to disarm, a return to ground action will only be a matter of time.

According to reporting by Amir Bohbot, the IDF and Israel’s security establishment believe Hamas has used the recent period to rebuild its military strength, reconstruct terror infrastructure, and preserve its rule in the Strip. This comes alongside diplomatic and international efforts aimed at demilitarizing the Strip and reaching an arrangement that would prevent renewed fighting.

The possibility of returning to Gaza City has already been reflected in the IDF’s operational plans. In May, Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor presented IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir with a comprehensive plan to renew fighting in the city. According to the report, the plan is based on a gradual takeover of the city, alongside the evacuation of the civilian population to designated humanitarian zones.

Israel’s security establishment sees Gaza City as central to any future effort to dismantle Hamas’s military power. Walla quoted a security official familiar with the details of the plan as saying that the assessment is that most Hamas commanders, members of its military wing, and personnel from the organization’s security apparatus are currently hiding in the city. Accordingly, the assessment is that the organization’s military capabilities cannot be fully dismantled without taking control of the area.

Alongside the military preparations, international efforts have continued in recent months to advance U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, centered on demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and transferring control of it to the Peace Council. However, according to the report, Israel’s security establishment has concluded that Hamas does not intend to meet the conditions set out under that framework.

The assessment is that the organization is trying to buy time, avoid disarming, and continue rebuilding its military capabilities at the same time. Against this backdrop, the possibility is increasingly gaining ground within Israel’s security establishment that, without a change in Hamas’s conduct, Israel will be required to return to ground operations in the Strip.