Israeli Army Warns Its Soldiers of Hamas Operations in Gaza
The Central Desk of Channel 12 Hebrew News reported that Israeli Defense Forces stationed at the “Yellow Line” in the Gaza Strip were ordered to prepare for the possibility that Hamas would open fire in retaliation for military operations and violations, whether through sniping or any other attack.
The bulletin, aired on Sunday evening, stated that Israeli troops operate only behind the “Yellow Line” when they detect a violation of the agreement by militants. Therefore, according to Israel, Hamas’s movements constitute an attempt to alter the narrative regarding responsibility for the breaches.
On the ground, the army has observed increasing boldness on the part of Hamas. While the group previously sent only women and children to the line area, militants are now approaching this tense boundary themselves.
On Friday, six militants crossed the “Yellow Line” with the aim of stealing military equipment. Troops lying in wait in the area were ordered to attack the group, but it appears they failed to injure any of its members, prompting the militants to retreat back across the line.
The message conveyed to troops in the field is that any threat within the Yellow Line must be responded to immediately, and militants posing a threat must be eliminated. According to instructions received by soldiers in the Southern Command, several criteria must be met before targeting militants. The most important of these concerns collateral damage; it is necessary to ensure that civilians not involved in the fighting are not harmed.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has begun documenting “Hamas violations,” which it claims number in the dozens daily. Among the documented violations reported to the Americans and the Peace Council are: the movement of militants, planting explosives, attempts to cross the Yellow Line, setting up field barriers, and manufacturing weapons during the ceasefire.
On another front, Defense Minister Israel Katz held a follow-up session on Sunday evening regarding the occupied West Bank, attended by Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, the Central Region Commander, the Head of the Operations Directorate, the Head of the Planning and Force Building Directorate, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Military Advocate General, the Commander of the West Bank Division, the Defense Minister’s Military Secretary, the Legal Advisor to the Security System, and other representatives of the security establishment.
At the beginning of the session, the Defense Minister received a comprehensive overview of the army’s activities in the West Bank, as well as a detailed briefing from the head of the Shin Bet in the region.
The minister praised the army’s activities in confronting what he described as “Palestinian terrorism,” noting a significant decrease in the scale of such activity as a result of these operations, for the second consecutive year.
He emphasized that “taking control of terrorist camps in the northern West Bank has been a central milestone in weakening and pursuing terrorists, and therefore, we must be prepared to take control of and clear an additional camp whenever attempts are made to escalate terrorist activity.”
The discussion also highlighted very serious phenomena, including breaches of the law and acts of violence committed by a small minority of the Jewish settler population, which forces the army to allocate increasing numbers of troops to address the issue.
According to the Central Desk, Katz expressed a firm stance against violence and the taking of the law into one’s own hands by unauthorized parties, stressing the need for the police to enforce the law in all civil aspects of the West Bank, within the framework of effective and efficient cooperation among various agencies.
It was agreed that the army would present a comprehensive plan on the matter within two weeks, to be subsequently coordinated with the police, while remaining within the army’s jurisdiction in the area.
In this context, the regional commander expressed his position that it is necessary to permit the establishment of settlements and to regularize their status, in areas where this is permissible, in accordance with the law and based on prior planning, subject to obtaining a security permit, and in a manner that contributes to enhancing security in the region.
The legal advisor to the security establishment and the Military Advocate General are working to advance the enactment of legislation regarding regulations that outline the conditions and circumstances under which the legal status of some of these settlements may be regularized.
At the same time, deterrent economic measures will be studied against those engaged in illegal or unregulated activities that impose significant costs on the security establishment, alongside the criminal aspects of such actions.
For his part, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a potential coalition partner should Gadi Eizenkot form the next government, outlined his political vision: adopting a new security vision for the State of Israel, based on principles rather than solutions grounded in the “land for peace” formula; Israel will not cede territory in exchange for false promises. The shift toward a policy of decisive preemptive strikes, and the establishment of a missile system that will serve as the military’s striking force in the near future.
