The IDF is trying to consolidate its initial operational control in northern Gaza into long-term stability and trying to prevent the return of Hamas.
To accomplish this, it is engaging in mopping up operations against an estimated 2,000 Hamas terrorists who are hidden and dispersed into smaller, often disconnected cells throughout the northern area.
The IDF said that in the last four days, it had killed 200 Hamas fighters, a pace of eliminating Hamas forces far below the first few weeks when the military killed several thousand.
However, that pace of raiding and killing Hamas forces is significantly higher than what had been for the last month when the IDF was not confronting or being confronted by Hamas in any high volume.
In the face of reports that Hamas is trying to reestablish civilian aspects of its rule with unarmed operatives handing out money, supplies, and directives, IDF sources said they are addressing these issues and will not allow them to grow into any organized resistance.
Civilian aspect of the war
At the same time, IDF sources do not have an answer to managing the civilian aspects of the lives of 150,000-200,000 northern Gazans remaining in the area given that the government has not come close to deciding what should happen next.
This delay has been caused by internal disagreements within the government as well as disagreements with the US, EU, and Arab allies, who all want a role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
The IDF believes that it could easily take a full year throughout 2024 to slowly root out the remaining hiding Hamas agents, but sources did not want to address a scenario where they are given significantly less time by the government and the world, other than to say they will carry out their mission in whatever time table they are given.
Moreover, IDF sources admitted that current northern operations have not led to freeing additional hostages from Hamas, but they said that keeping pressure on Hamas in northern Gaza and maintaining a cut-off from southern Gaza were major bargaining chips to play against Hamas to get the hostages back.
Further, the IDF said that the earlier hostage exchange deal of November 23-30 was achieved by virtue of the military’s success in northern Gaza.
Finally, the IDF noted that it had managed to unite the Nahal and 401 brigades traveling all the way across northern Gaza in only about 90 minutes without almost any resistance, whereas the same trip in October-November took two full divisions and about three weeks.
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