After repeated warnings by Israeli officials that if Hamas did not agree to a partial hostage deal before President Donald Trump left the Middle East, Israel would escalate its military campaign, the IDF ramped up aerial attacks over the weekend in preparation for a planned ground offensive under the framework of Operation Gideon's Chariots.
This marks the second phase of the operation led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. It began with Operation Shield and Arrow, during which the IDF resumed airstrikes, eliminated senior Hamas commanders (although the death of Mohammed Sinwar has not yet been confirmed), split the Gaza Strip by establishing the Morag axis between Rafah and Khan Younis, and operated intensively in Rafah to destroy infrastructure and eliminate terrorists.
As part of Operation Gideon's Chariots, the IDF intends to extend operations to nearly the entire territory of Gaza, create further divisions, and destroy terrorist infrastructure. Unlike previous stages of the war, when Israeli forces withdrew after missions were completed, the new approach calls for maintaining a presence in the territory until Hamas is dismantled and the hostages are brought home, not necessarily in that order.
Over the weekend, the Israeli Air Force intensified aerial bombardments to pave the way for the ground incursion. Forces were mobilized to secure strategically dominant positions within the Strip.
In the next phase, the IDF plans to scale up the relocation of the Palestinian civilian population from the north and center of Gaza to the south, to specific locations designated in advance. In these areas, the army has established four logistical centers where Gazans can obtain food and humanitarian supplies to prevent starvation.
Currently, three of these centers are operating in southern Gaza and one in the central region, all aimed at facilitating the population transfer. While the IDF has completed setting up the centers, the actual food distribution is being handled by an American company. According to the IDF, there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip at this time, and "there is enough [aid] for the near future."
Meanwhile, Israeli security officials are preparing for the possibility that Hamas may try to derail the planned offensive by agreeing to a partial hostage deal. Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that as Operation Gideon's Chariots got underway, the Hamas delegation in Doha informed mediators of its willingness to return to negotiations, "a reversal of the rejectionist stance it had held until then." He added that Hamas agreed to resume talks "without a humanitarian pause that is not required and without a ceasefire."
