Report: The Israeli Army Prepares for a Ground Operation in Gaza Under the Pretext of Hamas Rebuilding its Strength

SadaNews - The "Wall Street Journal" reported that the Israeli army has developed in recent weeks a plan for a new ground operation inside the Gaza Strip, specifically in areas controlled by Hamas and within the "yellow line".

According to the report, this step comes against the backdrop of security estimates indicating that Hamas is working on rebuilding its military capabilities that were damaged during the recent war.

The newspaper quoted informed Arab and Israeli sources as saying that Hamas is currently focusing on restoring its military infrastructure, including rehabilitating parts of the tunnel network that were damaged due to military operations. It also noted that funds have been poured into the sector recently, helping the organization pay salaries to its members and continue its organizational and military activities.

These data coincide with what was presented by representatives of the Israeli military intelligence during closed sessions held recently before the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee in the Knesset, where they confirmed that Hamas has been experiencing a comprehensive growth since the ceasefire, including armament, training, developing combat doctrine, increasing human resources, and extracting lessons from the previous confrontation.

In this context, a broad security discussion was held about the Gaza Strip about two weeks ago, attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior leaders of the security system. During the session, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir addressed the possibility that the army would have to carry out a new ground operation inside the sector, expressing doubt about the effectiveness of the idea of an "international stabilization force" that the United States is seeking to establish.

According to sources who attended the discussion, Zamir believed that relying on an international force to disarm Hamas might not be effective, which imposes on the army the need to prepare for a scenario where it is the entity that carries out the mission of dismantling the military structure of the organization, which means an additional Israeli military operation inside Gaza.

During the same discussion, Zamir directed a request to Netanyahu for clear political guidance regarding the "next day" of any potential operation, particularly regarding who would take control of the sector after disarming Hamas. Despite his initial opposition to the idea of military rule in Gaza, Zamir presented it as one of the possible options if other alternatives fail, warning that the absence of a political decision could return Israel to a point that would allow Hamas to rebuild its strength again, as is happening currently.

According to the "Wall Street Journal", Netanyahu did not provide a definitive answer during the discussion regarding who would control the sector if the international stabilization force project fails and the Israeli army is forced to carry out the disarmament mission itself.

This development comes as attention turns to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is seeking to announce the second phase of the exchange deal, at a time when the Gaza Strip is still witnessing a complex humanitarian and security reality, amid warnings of a new escalation if Hamas continues to rebuild its military capabilities without any effective deterrence.