The new head of the Israeli military is set to present his plan for the renewal of Israel’s campaign in Gaza and operations to retake territory that the IDF left during the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Haaretz reported on Thursday.
Eyal Zamir was sworn in as the IDF’s new chief of staff on Wednesday and vowed that Israel’s “mission” against Hamas has “not yet been completed,” and other Israeli officials have been threatening to restart the genocidal war at a level not seen before.
However, Israeli sources told Haaretz that they doubt the IDF will be able to draft the number of required reservists to enact Zamir’s plan, which requires several troops divisions to be deployed across Gaza. The report said many officers in the reserves have made clear they would not volunteer to return to combat in Gaza since they think it would only be done for political considerations.
Other sources told Haaretz that the Israeli military could restart combat in Gaza again, but the idea that it would be more intense than before is overblown as the IDF wants to keep its forces ready for the possibility of war with Iran.
The Israeli military has been stretched thin as the IDF has invaded southern Syria, continues to occupy southern Lebanon, and has significantly escalated attacks in the West Bank.
The current ceasefire agreement is hanging by a thread as Israel has imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza, a major violation of the deal. The Israeli military has also killed over 100 Palestinians since the truce went into effect on January 19.
On Thursday, Israel carried out a drone strike in Gaza, killing at least three Palestinians. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the drone targeted a gathering of civilians east of the Shujaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. For its part, the IDF claimed it targeted people planting bombs but provided no evidence.
