Netanyahu Pushes Gaza City Takeover: Will It Break Hamas or Backfire?
Israel expanded evacuation order for Gaza City as Netanyahu pushes for decisive military action. The potential impact on Hamas and risks to Israeli forces are the next points to be analyzed.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on this Tuesday morning issued its broadest evacuation order yet for Gaza City, signaling that a long-anticipated ground invasion may be imminent.
Unlike previous instructions, which applied to specific neighborhoods or carried ambiguous timelines, the latest directive covered nearly the entire city, home to roughly one million residents, underscoring the scale of what Israeli leaders have described as a decisive stage in the war.
Netanyahu: Capture of Gaza City Will Break Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that seizing Gaza City will convince Hamas to release the remaining hostages and pave the way for the group’s defeat. Military planners, however, remain divided. Senior officers caution that while such an operation may weaken Hamas, the group’s ability to sustain guerrilla-style attacks, coupled with the potential loss of Israeli hostages and soldiers, could blunt any strategic victory.
Civilian Flight Stalled by Hamas Blockades
Israel has spent weeks urging civilians to leave the city. Yet, according to defense officials, only around 100,000 people have fled so far. Hamas, they say, has blocked large numbers from evacuating, hoping to use them as human shields.
At the outset of the war in late 2023, Israel pummeled Gaza City with heavy bombardments before sending five divisions of ground troops into the territory. Military sources suggest a similar deployment is under consideration now, though they note Hamas has not mounted a large-scale defense since the battles in Khan Yunis in early 2024.
The Road Ahead
The IDF has escalated strikes on high-rise buildings in recent days but has not unleashed the level of bombardment that preceded its previous invasions. Whether Israel commits its full force of five divisions may depend on the strength of Hamas’s resistance in the coming days.
For now, the scale of Tuesday’s evacuation order suggests that the city at the heart of Hamas’s political and military power is bracing for Israel’s most consequential operation since the war began.