by Sarah Ben-Nun
“One of the things that history teaches us about fighting against terrorist groups is that their ‘safe haven’ must be destroyed, the site where they can regroup and plan their next moves.”
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The two areas that the IDF hasn’t fully entered and removed Hamas infrastructure from are the refugee camps along the southern corridor, and Gaza City, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror explained in a conversation with The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“One of the things that history teaches us about fighting against terrorist groups is that their ‘safe haven’ must be destroyed, the site where they can regroup and plan their next moves,” he explained. Amidror is a senior fellow at the The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) and the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).
The massive problem facing this military plan is that that is where most of the Palestinian population is, in humanitarian areas in some cases, and simply trying to survive - and is likely where the hostages are being held as well.
If the IDF’s goal is to truly dismantle and defeat Hamas, these are the sites it needs to conquer, he added.
Israel's new initiative to seize Gaza
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the Strip's largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of Gaza, which is home to about 2.2 million people.The war began when Hamas led a massacre attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Hamas continues to hold 50 hostages in underground tunnels.
Israel set out to dismantle Hamas's military and civilian control over Gaza. Per Hamas-run Gaza health authorities, the assault against Hamas killed over 61,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced most of Gaza's population and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Amidror explained that these two areas are ones that Hamas exerts control over like it did before the war. The emphasis here is control over both above-ground infrastructure and below-ground, i.e. the vast tunnel network.
“This means that they are actually still in charge in these areas - military and civilly,” said Amidror.
Hamas “had immunity because Israel was careful not to hurt the hostages,” said Amidror, adding that the working assumption is that all the homes there are all booby-trapped - like they were in Rafah and Khan Yunis.
“This war is extremely difficult, and joins historic wars in that terrorists are fighting amongst their countrymen, which makes it so much harder for the IDF to separate civilians from military targets,” explained Amidror.
“Those who encourage Israel not to harm civilians are essentially asking Jerusalem not to fight at all,” he said.
Sarah Ben-Nun
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-864497
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