Israel has successfully maintained deterrence in the Gaza Strip, a senior officer in the IDF's Southern Command said this week, pointing to the messages relayed by Hamas to Israel at the height of tensions on Wednesday that it was interested in a cease-fire and Hamas' actions on Thursday night to stop the terrorist cells that had continued to fire.
"We are at a crossroads. We brought Hamas to its worst state to date, and that's a good thing. We have to make a decision about where to go [from here] so that we are proactive and not reactive," the officer said in a press briefing on Thursday.
"It is possible to promote arrangements of all kinds, limited and extensive arrangements, but stability has cracked – not because deterrence has faltered. If you want to bolster deterrence, there are elements that need to be addressed. This is a period of change."
The officer said Israel should work toward bringing stabilizing elements into Gaza or risk being led down a "slippery slope and becoming reactive instead of proactive."
As for a possible cease-fire deal for Hamas, the officer said Israel does not need to "prop Hamas up." He said the terrorist group is prepared "to talk about everything" to save itself from total collapse and that it understands that the only solution other than an agreement is a military campaign, something it is doing everything within its power to prevent.
The officer said he could not provide details on a possible deal but that "very serious discussions" are being held on the matter.
He said Israel could take steps such as opening the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings and asking Egypt to open the Rafah crossings to reach a short-term agreement with Hamas that could provide a year of calm.
But any long-term arrangement would require the return of two Israeli civilians being held captive by Hamas as well as the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, he said.
The officer admitted that while a directive was issued to locate the terror cells responsible for the launch of over 100 mortar shells at Israel on Tuesday, the IDF did not succeed in hitting those targets. The enemy has "improved and learned," he said, adding that many of the launches were carried out with the help of timers.
He also emphasized that the Southern Command is ready for war with the Gaza Strip, even if one should break out this week. He said that in recent weeks the General Staff had authorized operational plans for all the forces that would be sent to fight in Gaza in the event of a war.
