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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n Israel also believes that left unchecked, the terror group will remain in power in the Strip and try to rebuild its militarily strength while tightening its grip on areas under its control. The military this month said that since the start of the ceasefire, Hamas \u201chas violated the agreement and focused its efforts on restoring its military capabilities<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, a senior Israeli security official said<\/a> that it was looking increasingly likely that the Israel Defense Forces would have to act militarily against Hamas to disarm it, as the military believed the terrorist organization will not do so of its own accord.<\/p>\n The official said the goal of disarming Hamas would be attainable by force, but would likely take many years.<\/p>\n \t In recent weeks, the IDF\u2019s Southern Command has been building plans for a series of potential operations in the Strip should the political leadership instruct the military to disarm Hamas by force, The Times of Israel has learned.<\/p>\n Hinting at the military\u2019s offensive plans, Defense Minister Israel Katz this month said that Israel was \u201cdetermined\u201d to disarm Hamas,<\/a> threatening to \u201cdismantle\u201d the terror group if it doesn\u2019t agree to lay down its arms.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter we have completed the objective of bringing back all of our hostages, we are determined to complete the disarmament of Hamas and the full demilitarization of Gaza,\u201d Katz said. \u201cIf Hamas does not disarm in accordance with the agreed framework, we will dismantle it and all of its capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Such an offensive aimed at disarming Hamas \u2014 should it go ahead \u2014 could be far more intense than the IDF\u2019s operations in the Strip throughout the two years of war that began on October 7, 2023. The military has stressed throughout the war that it planned its operations in Gaza with the hostages in mind, even though some were still harmed by Israeli actions.<\/p>\n \t The IDF would also be expected to operate in areas of Gaza where ground troops have not set foot amid the war, including Deir al-Balah in the Strip\u2019s center and the Mawasi area on the southern coast.<\/p>\n The IDF did not operate in those areas mainly due to the potential risk to the hostages, as well as the large concentration of Palestinians there following Israeli evacuation orders from other areas of the Strip.<\/p>\n But Israel could still be constrained by the Trump administration, which has made the Gaza ceasefire a centerpiece of its Board of Peace initiative. Any renewal of large-scale fighting could upend Trump\u2019s Gaza plan and threaten the support of its international backers.<\/p>\n In October, Trump indicated that he would allow Israel to resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas doesn\u2019t uphold the terms of the hostage deal. However, with the return of all the hostages, it is unclear if Trump still holds this position and would allow Israel to carry out a full-scale offensive against Hamas.<\/p>\n Holding down the Yellow Line<\/p>\n Until Hamas disarms, Israel is not expected to withdraw its troops from the Strip or approve any rebuilding efforts in the war-torn territory, leaving the ceasefire agreement in limbo.<\/p>\n Israeli troops currently hold 53% percent of the Strip, with most of the approximately 2 million Gazans in the remaining 47% of the enclave under ostensible Hamas control.<\/p>\n During a visit to a forward army outpost in Gaza City\u2019s Shejaiya neighborhood on Monday, commanders told The Times of Israel that Hamas was continuing to test the IDF by sending operatives across the ceasefire line to attack troops.<\/p>\n Since the start of the ceasefire in October, the IDF has said it has killed dozens of terror operatives and other suspects who have crossed the Yellow Line \u2014 demarcating where the military withdrew to in the Strip \u2014 and approached troops. Such incidents have taken place on a near-daily basis.<\/p>\n \t Last week, a reservist officer was seriously wounded by gunfire carried out by Palestinian gunmen against troops who were operating near the Yellow Line in Shejaiya. In response, the military launched a series of strikes against Hamas.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one is allowed to cross the Yellow Line. Whoever crosses is destroyed or eliminated at that moment,\u201d said a battalion commander in the Alexandroni Reserve Infantry Brigade during Monday\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n The reservist forces stationed at the outpost seemed relatively relaxed, despite the recent attack by gunmen that left one of their company commanders wounded, though such incidents, including last week\u2019s, have taken place during operations by troops closer to the Yellow Line, rather than at the outpost, which stood several hundred meters east of the ceasefire boundary.<\/p>\n A vast landscape of rubble could be seen stretching out toward Gaza City, and deeper in the Strip there was a skyline of partially crumbled but still-standing structures.<\/p>\n \t The Yellow Line itself, marked by bright yellow concrete blocks placed inside the mangled urban landscape, was not visible to the naked eye due to overcast conditions.<\/p>\n According to the commander, the terror group had been forcibly sending civilians across the line to test the Israeli response.<\/p>\n Hamas \u201cknows that we don\u2019t shoot at women and children, even those who are unarmed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t pose a threat, they won\u2019t die. So [Hamas] is trying to take advantage of that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cA terrorist who crosses the Yellow Line will die. Will we kill children? Of course we won\u2019t. But no one is [crossing the Yellow Line] for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/F251011ALH012-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tHamas police forces deploy in Gaza City on October 11, 2025. (Ali Hassan\/ Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP26017580392740-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tDisplaced Palestinians gather outside a tent at a temporary camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/Abdel Kareem Hana)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC04496-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIDF soldiers are seen at an army position outside of Gaza City\u2019s Shejaiya neighborhood, February 9, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC04507-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tLt. Col. \u2018Yud,\u2019 a battalion commander in the Alexandroni Brigade, is seen at an army position outside of Gaza City\u2019s Shejaiya neighborhood, February 9, 2026. (Emanuel Fabian\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n
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