Trump ‘Only One Who Can Stop’ Large-Scale Israeli Operation in Gaza, Military Expert Tells TML
Israel's military plans a significant ground offensive in Gaza for a long-term presence. Experts warn it may worsen humanitarian crises and endanger hostages, while Trump's upcoming Gulf visit could alter strategy
Twenty years after Israel withdrew its forces and citizens from the Gaza Strip and after over eighteen months of war, the Israeli government has said a fresh military push will result in a permanent presence in the territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several cabinet ministers have said the seizure of the Gaza Strip will not be limited in time. Leading Israel’s most far-right coalition to ever govern, Israel could now be headed to a re-occupation of Gaza.
“For the first time, we speak without shame about occupation,” ultra-right Finance Minister and one of Netanyahu’s senior coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich, said Monday in an interview with the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 television channel. “The army is going to occupy the Gaza Strip and hold the territory for a long time, and finally end the terrible folly in which we are sending logistical supplies to our enemy. We will run this event in a completely different way!”
Smotrich was also referring to the humanitarian aid that will be distributed. Israel froze the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza several weeks ago in an effort to pressure Hamas into submission. International agencies have warned that famine in the impoverished territory is imminent. Throughout the war, Israel facilitated the entrance of aid into Gaza, a move many Israelis criticized. Much of the aid was believed to be taken over by Hamas and not reach the needy residents of Gaza.
Tens of thousands of reserve soldiers were called up for duty as the military intensified its efforts in Gaza. The purpose of the new operation is to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization and release the remaining 59 Israeli hostages still being held in captivity.
The only option to topple Hamas is to make this move. The previous strategy was proven as a failure, and now an understanding of the need for a big maneuver has been reached.
“The only option to topple Hamas is to make this move,” Dr. Eyal Pinko, senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, told The Media Line. “The previous strategy was proven as a failure, and now an understanding of the need for a big maneuver has been reached.”
The new American President, Donald Trump, largely paved the path to the new stage of the war. Entering office with a vow to end all wars, Trump has also given Israel the green light to end the war in Gaza in whatever way it sees fit, essentially lifting all barriers raised by the previous administration.
According to the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the army has initiated a “new and intense” phase of the war that “will include a wide-scale attack and the movement of the majority of the…population…(to) an area sterile of Hamas.”
At the beginning of his term earlier this year, Trump suggested the majority of Gaza residents should be relocated to either Egypt or Jordan. In the interview on Monday, Smotrich added that the movement of the Gaza population to a safe area within the Strip would be the first step towards the implementation of Trump’s contentious plan.
Israel has been engaged in a war against Hamas since the terrorist group carried out a surprise offensive against it on October 7th, 2023. It operated with ground forces, the air force, and the navy.
Hamas stunned Israel with its attack that killed approximately 1200 Israelis and kidnapped over 250 people. In response, Israel launched a massive retaliation, which quickly turned into its longest war, spreading to its other borders and beyond. Since then, Gaza has been largely decimated, much of it unrecognizable. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military since the beginning of the war, with over 1168,000 people injured. The death toll does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists, with Israel claiming many of the dead are Hamas operatives. United Nations (UN) data suggests the majority of houses in Gaza have been destroyed, with almost two million residents internally displaced. Since October 2023, and almost with no interruption, barring two ceasefires, the Israeli military and all of its arms have been pounding Gaza relentlessly.
“The fighting will be characterized by guerrilla warfare, with the rubble of Gaza replacing the underground tunnels as the main area from which Hamas will fight,” Guy Aviad, a military historian and expert on Hamas, told The Media Line. “The deeper the army will go, the more friction there will be and this will be a disaster for both sides.”
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According to Aviad, the IDF will likely work in parallel in several areas in the Gaza Strip as opposed to its piecemeal effort at the start of the war, in which it spent months in the northern part of the territory only later to move to the south where much of Hamas’ leadership and command and control centers were located.
Over the past two months, since Israel resumed the fighting in Gaza, the military has focused on establishing the “Morag Corridor,” a strategic east-west route between the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. This corridor aims to isolate the area from the rest of Gaza, effectively encircling the city and creating a buffer zone which will be free of Hamas presence.
Israel is looking to put two million Palestinian inhabitants in an area which is less than a quarter of the whole territory, maintaining steady supplies to it, while pounding the rest of the Gaza Strip. This will create a humanitarian disaster and a moral stain on Israel.
“Israel is looking to put two million Palestinian inhabitants in an area which is less than a quarter of the whole territory, maintaining steady supplies to it, while pounding the rest of the Gaza Strip,” Aviad said. “This will create a humanitarian disaster and a moral stain on Israel.”
“Israel is done with talking,” he added.
Israel has been the subject of intense criticism throughout its war against Hamas. It is also facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Yet, the international outcry appears to have not fazed the Jewish state.
As Israel pivots towards a new effort, there are questions about what its military has accomplished since the beginning of the war and what will be done differently now.
Hamas has largely been dismantled and is fractured into several factions that are fighting for power of the organization. This is also one of the reasons why negotiating a hostage release deal has become so difficult.
“Hamas has largely been dismantled and is fractured into several factions that are fighting for power of the organization,” said Pinko. “This is also one of the reasons why negotiating a hostage release deal has become so difficult.”
“A lot of the tunnels have been destroyed as have Hamas’ rocket and drone capabilities,” he added. “A significant amount of its manpower has also been eliminated.”
The recent appointment of a new army chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, is part of Israel’s shift toward a more forceful approach to the conflict.
Zamir’s predecessor, retired Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, was criticized for adopting a softer approach to the fighting in Gaza, preferring pinpoint operations rather than a continuous hold on the territory.
Over 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ground operation in Gaza began in late October 2023.
“Halevi’s moves were proven to be bad and mistaken and cost a lot of Israeli lives,” said Pinko. “Without seizing territory through an orderly military maneuver, a decisive win cannot be achieved, and Hamas’ infrastructure cannot be destroyed.”
Palestinians see Gaza as part of their future state. A permanent Israeli presence there would further distance them from what is already an increasingly unattainable goal. There is concern amongst Palestinians and others in the international community that the far-right government will use the new phase in the fighting as a platform for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and permanent Israeli rule there.
“We will not be seeing military rule in Gaza,” Pinko said. “The aim is to control territory until a political solution is reached regarding what to do with the territory. This military action is aimed at leading to a political solution, whatever that will be.”
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Israel will not accept Hamas as a ruling factor in Gaza. Throughout the war, he has refused to directly refer to the future of Gaza other than negating Hamas. The Israeli government also rules out the Palestinian Authority, which currently governs parts of the West Bank, also labelling it a supporter of terrorism.
As reservists report for duty and the war intensifies, there is concern for the fate of the remaining hostages. The majority of them are believed to be dead.
“This operation is a death sentence to those who remain alive, and once over, it will be very difficult to reach them,” said Aviad. “We may never recover their bodies or know what happened to them.”
The Israeli government maintains that the intense pressure is exactly what is needed in order for Hamas to succumb to a deal.
“The hostages will not be endangered,” said Pinko. “Those who say this are just opposing Netanyahu.”
Next week, Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The high-stakes visit will focus on economic cooperation and regional security. The war in Gaza will likely be high on the agenda. Gulf investments in the US could possibly be linked by Arab leaders who will demand American pressure on Israel in return, asking it to curb its current intentions for the Gaza Strip. The outcomes of these meetings could significantly influence the trajectory of the Gaza conflict and the broader conflict.
“Trump is the only one who can stop Israel, and a lot is riding on his trip,” said Aviad. “This is a highly sensitive, critical and historical moment.”
