Hamas Prepares Deadly Trap as IDF Plans Gaza City Operation
Military Leaders Warn of High Risks in Urban Combat Amid Tensions with Defense Minister Katz
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As Israel continues preparations for a potential takeover of Gaza City, Hamas is reportedly readying for the scenario with extensive defensive measures, including explosives, sniper positions, and rocket launchers.
According to IDF assessments, several hundred Hamas fighters, organized as a brigade-strength force, are currently entrenched in the city, most operating from the vast tunnel network below ground, while above ground lies a dense urban battlefield filled with lethal traps.
Military experience suggests a parallel advance, first underground to secure tunnels, then above ground to take control, offers the safest route for IDF troops, despite being slow.
After nearly two years of fighting, the army sees this cautious approach as critical for troop safety. The IDF also insists that any assault must follow the evacuation of at least 800,000 civilians from Gaza City to designated areas in Al-Mawasi.
To maintain operational momentum, the IDF has begun strikes in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, with progress expected to take several months. This timeline clashes with political demands for a faster, more intense offensive, with greater firepower and larger troop deployments.
The rift between military and political leadership deepens as the defense establishment braces for changes to the operational plan once Defense Minister Israel Katz meets with the Chief of Staff later this week. Military officials fear that any acceleration of the timetable could jeopardize soldiers’ safety. Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to call up thousands of reservists in the coming days to reinforce units across multiple fronts, anticipating possible escalation in Judea and Samaria and Yemen, as well as other arenas. Additional troops will be assigned to the eastern border and air defense systems.
Inside the IDF, criticism of Defense Minister Katz is mounting.
Senior and mid-level officers alike accuse him of provoking unnecessary clashes with the Chief of Staff during wartime. Some question the logic of airing such disputes in the media, warning that publicizing divisions within the defense leadership weakens Israel both internally and in the eyes of its enemies.
At a ceremony marking the change of command in the Northern Command, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir maintained a formal tone, avoiding public comment on the dispute. Observers now wonder when and how the defense minister will step down from his entrenched position in the standoff with the military leadership.