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As few Hamas and PIJ terrorists remain in Jabalya, IDF nears full control of northern Gaza – report
Hundreds of terrorists from northern Gaza and Gaza City had gathered in the Jabalya refugee camp, turning the local population into human shields and threatening them not to leave their homes or they would be harmed, according to a Walla report from Sunday.
Hundreds of Gazan civilians were evacuated from Jabalya on Monday morning despite continued threats from Hamas, KAN reported, as they headed toward shelters in the Khan Yunis area while IDF expanded its activity in the north.
In documentation from Gaza, Palestinians are seen raising a white flag and passing through checkpoints near IDF soldiers, who are handing out water to those who chose to leave the Jabaliya camp. The activity began two weeks ago, and the camp is occupied by the combat teams of the IDF’s 401st and 460th brigades.
IDF Brig.-Gen. Itzik Cohen, commander of the military’s 162nd Division, was assigned to secure the refugee camp by the Southern Command Chief, Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelman.The Strategy
Three weeks ago, the 162nd Division employed a strategic deception in its ground maneuver, swiftly advancing from two flanks simultaneously, surprising the militants and encircling Jabalya to prevent senior field commanders from escaping.
Since the start of the ground maneuver, the division has neutralized approximately 300 terrorists, most of them Hamas operatives but also members of the PIJ, in close-range engagements. Most of the clashes have been handled by infantry, armored, and engineering forces in urban areas, while some have been assisted by directing airstrikes.
The division’s commander has praised the unique operations of the 215th Artillery Brigade, which includes precision strikes targeting terrorists using civilians as human shields, underground facilities, and sensitive sites to evade IDF fire. The artillery brigade has significantly aided the division forces in “peeling off” fortified positions by employing missiles and artillery fire to destroy combat zones and dismantle terrorist infrastructure.
In the past week, the third brigade combat team, led by Givati Brigade commander Colonel Liron Batito, joined the maneuver in Jabalya to intensify pressure on the terror strongholds.
Locating weapons
The 162nd Division has so far located numerous weapons, some of which were used by terrorists during the October 7 massacre. Additionally, many explosive devices have been discovered and destroyed by the IDF‘s Yahalom Unit in the field.
Beyond securing the concentration of terrorists in the heart of Jabalya, sources in Southern Command claim that the division’s actions have the potential to secure large geographical areas in northern Gaza, dramatically diminishing Hamas’s control.
Sources emphasized that their ground maneuver is only in its initial stages, yet it is already yielding dramatic results, such as the decision of hundreds of terrorists over the weekend to surrender and Palestinian civilians to move to shelters in southern Gaza. The sources further clarified that with their actions in Jabalya and the killing of hundreds of terrorists, Hamas will no longer be able to dominate humanitarian aid.
Jabalya last year
In October 2023, the Shin Bet successfully led a targeted elimination of Ibrahim Biari, the Hamas Battalion Commander for central Jabalya, who commanded Nukhba forces that carried out the massacre on October 7. Later, during the ground maneuver, the IDF struck terrorist infrastructure in the area, killing over a thousand Hamas terrorists. In the following months, terrorists from across northern Gaza gathered in the camp and began rebuilding the battalion’s infrastructure, which had been destroyed.
There is a concentration of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, most of whom are hiding in shelters, the Walla report added, with it also saying that the proximity of these terrorists to Israel poses a serious issue. Most of the rocket fire from Gaza’s north during the war originated from the Sheikh Zayed area, the report said.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
Israel’s political echelon, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the IDF to prepare for an “immediate” return to fighting in Gaza, KAN News reported on Friday evening.
The Jerusalem Post reported earlier this week that Israeli officials estimated that if no agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel would return to fighting in Gaza in about a week and a half.
“Hamas is currently rejecting [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff’s proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress,” one official said.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Witkoff’s plan involves the release of half of the living hostages and the return of half of the bodies on the first day of the continued deal. The rest of the hostages and bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.However, some claim that the terrorist organization has not rejected the proposal. According to a source familiar with the negotiations, “Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the Witkoff proposal.”
Eyal Zamir to Gaza border community heads: We’re preparing to fight
On his first day as the new IDF chief of staff on Thursday, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir told heads of local councils from the Gaza border communities that “we are preparing to return to fighting” in Gaza.
“We must defeat Hamas,” Zamir said. “We are also preparing to resume fighting. The hostages are our top priority.”
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.
Negotiations over the continued release of hostages held in Gaza have stalled, and “right now there is nothing happening,” sources familiar with details of the talks admitted in conversation with The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
“Right now, there’s nothing happening,” an Israeli official told the Post, adding that “Hamas is currently rejecting the Witkoff proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress.”
According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, the Witkoff plan involves the release of half of the living hostages and the return of half of the bodies on the first day of the deal. The second half of the hostages and bodies would be returned on the 42nd day, which would be the final day of the ceasefire.
On the other hand, some claim that Hamas has not rejected the proposal. “Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the Witkoff proposal,” said a source with knowledge of the negotiations with the Post.“Hamas has said it is willing to negotiate and has not rejected the plan. Since Israel currently states that this is the proposal on the table, from Israel’s perspective, Hamas has rejected it.”
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff not expected to visit Israel soon, source says
An Israeli source told the Post that there is no expectation for Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to visit the region at the moment, adding, “He will only come to finalize a deal. And since there is no real progress right now, it is unclear when or if he will arrive.”
Without an agreement on the release of additional hostages in the coming days, Israeli sources say Israel is preparing to escalate its actions against Hamas. After the decision on Sunday to stop humanitarian aid, Israel is preparing to cut off water and electricity to the Gaza Strip, as well as resume fighting – some say this might happen, without a deal, as early as next week.
Israeli officials suggest that even without accepting the Witkoff initiative, Hamas might agree to release additional hostages in the near future in exchange for the release of terrorists from prison and the entry of caravans and humanitarian aid, but they add that this also depends on other issues.
“The Israeli government needs to decide what will be negotiated with Hamas and what they will receive in exchange for the release of hostages in the coming weeks,” said an Israeli source. “Hamas’s agreement to release more hostages depends on the answers to these questions.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Israel responded to the mediators’ request to allow a few more days of negotiations. Katz added,d “If Hamas does not release the hostages soon, the gates of Gaza will be locked and the gates of hell will be opened – we will return to fighting, and they will face the IDF with forces and methods they have never encountered before.”
Israeli officials suggest that even without accepting the Witkoff initiative, Hamas might agree to release additional hostages in the near future in exchange for the release of terrorists from prison and the entry of caravans and humanitarian aid, but they add that this also depends on other issues. “The Israeli government needs to decide what will be negotiated with Hamas and what they will receive in exchange for the release of hostages in the coming weeks,” said an Israeli source. “Hamas’s agreement to release more hostages depends on the answers to these questions.”
No progress has been made in the ceasefire talks in Cairo, and Israel is reaching a dead end, a source familiar with the details of the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post Saturday.
There were lots of technical discussions but no results, the source added.
Israel and mediating countries believe that only the Trump administration can perhaps break the talks out of the impasse.
“When [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff arrives, things may happen. Everyone is waiting for him,” the source said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a meeting on the hostage deal in the next several hours with senior officials and the negotiation team, an Israeli official told the Post.
Hamas refusing Israeli proposal to extend phase one of deal
Hamas is refusing the idea of extending the first phase of the deal, Israeli officials said.
The Israeli and Qatari delegations arrived in Cairo on Thursday. The delegation is led by Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Persons, Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, as well as “M,” an anonymous officer from the Shin Bet. M is the former deputy of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who is reportedly no longer part of the hostage deal negotiating team.
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