An IDF representative said yesterday in the closed meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that it is not certain that capturing Gaza City would dislodge Hamas, as reported this morning (Thursday) on Kan Reshet Bet.
According to the report, the IDF representative replied to a question from Likud MK Amit Halevi, who asked, “Why would capturing Gaza City at all move Hamas?”
Meanwhile, it was reported that Hamas is acting diplomatically and preparing militarily to prevent the capture of Gaza City. The organization is exerting pressure on Egypt and Qatar to act with the United States to stop the operation, claiming it itself agreed to the mediators’ framework while Israel refuses to accept it.
On the military level, Hamas claims it is preparing all means at its disposal in the Gaza City area to try to strike IDF forces if Israel advances on the city.
Last night, Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Hamas continues to play for time and utters empty words, but soon it will understand that it must choose between two options: accepting Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all the hostages and disarmament, or that Gaza will suffer the fate of Rafah and Beit Hanoun.”