Report: Israel Prepares Plans to Resume War on Gaza

SadaNews - The political leadership in Israel has informed senior army commanders during recent discussions that Iran and Hezbollah are at the top of the security and military priorities, and that the army should focus its operational efforts on these two fronts, while the Southern Command has completed military plans to resume the war on Gaza if that is decided in the coming months.

According to Israeli Channel 13, on Wednesday evening, the message conveyed to senior army leaders emphasized that Iran and Hezbollah are the primary "national priorities and the priorities of the General Staff", while Gaza remains part of operational preparations, but with no current Israeli political decision to undertake a large-scale operation in the sector.

The report mentioned that the Southern Command of the Israeli army has completed preparing operational plans for the possible resumption of the war on the Gaza Strip "if necessary" in the near coming months, amidst the continued deployment of army forces on what is referred to as the "yellow line" inside the sector, which is a buffer zone separating the area controlled by the occupation army from the rest of the Gaza Strip.

The same channel had reported on Tuesday assessments within the Israeli army regarding what it describes as Hamas's operational and military preparations for a new round of confrontation. According to the report, estimates indicate that the movement is focusing its efforts on training and rehabilitation, including elite units, and on specific military specializations.

The report claimed that Hamas is recruiting youths aged between 18 and 22, describing them as the "next generation", while Israeli estimates suggest the production of hundreds of explosives and missiles monthly, and a speeding up of smuggling operations including parts for drones and other means.

According to Israeli claims, Hamas has distributed "operational plans" to resume war, while the Israeli army states that it is monitoring advanced preparations in the field. The report considered these estimates, mentioned in documents within the army command, to indicate that Hamas "has not remained only in the sector but is preparing from all sides for the next stage", as stated.

In this context, the report noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not held a special discussion regarding Gaza in recent days, against the backdrop of messages conveyed from the United States to Israel, indicating that there is currently no international legitimacy for another large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip.

These messages, according to the report, reveal a gap between the Israeli army's field preparations on one hand and the political and diplomatic constraints facing the Israeli government on the other, especially in light of the current US focus on preventing the expansion of fighting in Gaza.

The channel also pointed out that Israeli security officials received instructions to stop using the term "voluntary migration" when discussing the plan aimed at displacing the residents of the Gaza Strip, after the term provoked severe international criticism, as it constitutes a step equivalent to forced displacement, prompting various countries to refuse to cooperate with the plan and expressing readiness to accept Palestinians from the sector.

According to the report, the plan will henceforth be referred to in discussions and official calls as the "Freedom of Movement Plan", in an Israeli attempt to re-market it with different terminology, despite its content being related to the displacement of residents from the Gaza Strip to other countries.

The channel quoted informed sources regarding communications with the relevant countries as expressing "optimism" that changing the terminology could lead to a "dramatic shift" in those countries' positions towards the plan, amidst Israel's efforts to revive it anew.