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Two days after Knesset member Gadi Eisenkot revealed that more than 25,000 armed terrorists remain active in Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) brigades—and urged the government to refocus on achieving the war’s objectives—the IDF launched a fresh assault on the Gaza Strip overnight Tuesday.
At this stage, the operation resembles past escalation rounds that preceded the October 7 massacre rather than the sustained fighting seen in earlier phases of the war.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz at a situational assessment in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Defense Ministry)
Unlike previous high-intensity days of combat, the IDF has not provided the public with details on the operation’s objectives, what to expect next or the potential risks to the dozens of hostages still held by Hamas.
The renewed offensive included dozens of air and naval strikes, carried out by fighter jets, helicopters and drones. The primary targets were Hamas operatives and senior political figures, as well as tunnel shafts, weapons production sites and arms depots.
Security officials describe the operation as a rolling event, meaning it will progress or pause in stages, depending on developments in the coming days. This approach leaves room for Hamas to decide whether to accept a cease-fire proposal put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. The deal is expected to involve the release of around 10 hostages in exchange for several weeks of quiet and the renewed entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The next phases of the operation, prepared by Southern Command, include intensifying airstrikes and moving civilian populations out of border-adjacent areas—a step the IDF once again ordered residents to take on Tuesday morning, marking the umpteenth evacuation order in the past year and a half.
The most significant escalation, however, would be a full-scale return to ground combat, a move that requires approval from Israel’s political leadership. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has already begun signaling this possibility during a visit to the Tel Nof Airbase following the night’s air operation.
“Hamas must understand that the rules of the game have changed—if it does not immediately release all the hostages, the gates of hell will open, and it will face the full force of the IDF by air, sea and land—until its complete destruction,” Katz declared during a visit to the 133th Squadron. “We will not stop fighting until the hostages are brought home and every threat to the residents of the south is eliminated.”
In his inaugural speech, incoming IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir acknowledged that the primary objective of militarily defeating Hamas has not yet been achieved and that the group remains in control of Gaza, both militarily and administratively.
Thousands of Hamas operatives who had positioned themselves near Israeli forces along the buffer zone in recent weeks—protected from IDF fire due to cease-fire restrictions—likely retreated Tuesday morning, either into underground bunkers or into densely populated areas. The IDF estimates that a detailed operational assessment will be needed to determine how many of the hundreds of Gazans killed in the latest strikes were actually Hamas or PIJ members.
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Military officials are aware that public legitimacy for continued operations has shifted compared to the early months of the war, and that this could influence future decisions. Unlike at the start of the war, reservists no longer need ideological reasons to avoid reporting for duty—many are already struggling with financial and family constraints, a reality well understood by unit commanders.
Adding to this complexity are political considerations, including opposition claims that the timing of the operation is linked to the upcoming state budget vote and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s interest in bringing Itamar Ben-Gvir back into the coalition.
Meanwhile, the government continues to push forward military exemption laws demanded by ultra-Orthodox parties, and former hostages and their families are pressuring officials not to endanger those still held in Gaza.
Last month, the government gave the IDF the green light to re-mobilize hundreds of thousands of reservists under the same "open-ended emergency call-up" (Tzav 8) used at the start of the ground operation.
However, IDF officials have made it clear to the political leadership that due to fatigue and economic strain, reservist turnout has dropped significantly compared to the early months of the war, now averaging 60-80%—a factor that must be considered in every escalation stage.
Reflecting this reality, the IDF did not immediately recall reservists, signaling that the next phase of fighting is not imminent. The fact that civilian restrictions were only imposed in the Gaza border region, and that schools were only closed in those areas, further suggests that Israel is not rushing into full-scale combat and is still allowing room for a possible cease-fire or hostage deal.
The IDF has also warned the leadership about the risks to the remaining hostages, emphasizing that the military is taking extreme precautions to avoid strikes that could endanger them. However, despite these efforts, no military or political official is willing to guarantee that renewed fighting will not put hostages at risk—whether due to Hamas ordering executions or an unintended Israeli strike near their locations.