Under Fire

As swift, fierce, and alarmingly numerous fires erupted simultaneously in the dry forested hills between Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, it was clear this wasn’t nature at work: It was an act of war.

As a gray mushroom cloud rose over Terminal 3, Iranian-backed Houthis managed to achieve what had been considered impossible: A ballistic missile launched from Yemen actually struck Israel’s international airport.

As the war in Gaza escalates to an advanced phase, where high-intensity operations are replacing previous strategies amid IDF plans to remain in the territories instead of pulling out and leaving a terror vacuum, Israel hopes to finally rid the Strip of Hamas.

After a year and a half of fighting, is Israel more entrenched than ever?

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Flash90

Gearing Up in Gaza

The images of smoke rising from Rafah and the roar of explosions from the center of the strip are nothing new. But now, things are set to change. This Sunday, the Israeli security cabinet voted to approve a significant expansion of ground operations in Gaza, opening a critical new phase in a war that’s been going on for 19 months. The ramping-up of IDF efforts was likely behind last week’s Houthi missile attacks and, possibly, arsonists who set a series of wildfires in Israel.

“We’re focusing on two goals: one is to return our hostages, and the other is to defeat Hamas,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced in a video shortly before the cabinet vote. “There will be no Hamas in Gaza, everyone has to understand that.”

But his confident statement belied a stark disagreement between the political and military echelons behind the scenes — which could determine the fate of the dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

The strategic plan approved by the cabinet includes three main stages: encirclement, evacuation, and long-term presence. In phase one, IDF forces will encircle key parts of the north and center of the Gaza Strip, completely cutting off traffic and supply routes. This will be achieved by deploying armored and engineering forces along strategic routes, as seen in Rafah.