"If needed, we'll know how to disengage from Gaza," says a senior IDF commander, as the military prepares for a potential hostage deal. While Israel will ultimately need to relinquish certain security assets to secure an agreement for the hostages' release, there's a crucial distinction between surrendering recoverable territory and accepting new propaganda narratives like "Military pressure is killing the hostages" appearing on Ayalon Highway bridges.
"Having control of central Gaza holds significant operational value," a senior military official in the south told me during a spring-like December day. He was referring to the Netzarim corridor, whose strategic importance is often underestimated. One of the IDF's divisions maintains complete control over the area surrounding this corridor, between Gaza City and the northern edges of the "central camps," particularly Nusseirat.
The forces acknowledge they might need to withdraw. "We can easily return to the buffer zone," sector officials explain. Currently, the IDF maintains optimal deployment for both operational control in Gaza and western Negev defense. While securing both the Philadelphia corridor and the expanding Netzarim corridor stretching north and south, the IDF is "establishing a perimeter along Gaza. We're also preparing for a sustained military presence. The buffer zone from the fence inward will be significantly deeper than before." The IDF continues organizing for long-term presence: "We maintain full operational tempo. Raids continue with daily precision airstrikes. If ordered, we can disengage according to political directives."
Any IDF withdrawal under a ceasefire agreement would prioritize maintaining complete operational freedom while minimizing friction. Currently, "we hope our sustained pressure will facilitate the hostages' return." During my southern visit, military officials showed genuine openness to potential agreements, indicating that even the military is preparing for possible deal scenarios.
Hamas's greatest loss is northern Gaza, where an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 residents remain. Approximately one million Gazans have relocated to southern refugee shelters. Many remaining northern residents want to leave but remain trapped in combat zones. Hamas terrorists now focus more on terrorizing the population than engaging IDF forces. Many new Hamas recruits concentrate on population control rather than combat roles. Intelligence facilities established in the buffer zone have transformed the "Netzarim corridor" into an effective filter for north-south movement, enabling precision, intelligence-based operations against terrorists in the area.
A key IDF mission involves facilitating roughly 200 daily humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, maximizing legitimate delivery. Hamas seizes approximately 40 percent of supplies, profiting through inflated resale prices while creating population dependency. Supply routes from the north and along the Rafah crossing perimeter allow thorough truck inspections, though the system isn't completely impenetrable. Movement within Gaza enables more message transmission than weapons transfer, allowing Hamas to maintain decentralized organizational control despite leadership losses.
International organizations manage non-Hamas aid distribution. "They conduct comprehensive monitoring to ensure proper supply delivery," an authorized IDF source explains. These organizations effectively serve as the IDF's governance mechanism in Gaza. "Every convoy member undergoes system verification and crossing checks. Apart from medical supplies, everything requires precise divisional coordination."
Despite IDF oversight, Hamas maintains checkpoints and territorial awareness. These checkpoints partly aim to prevent civilian evacuation from combat zones. The IDF observes Hamas using crowded civilian shelters as human shields. Some surviving Hamas leaders hide within civilian shelters, including in northern Gaza. Terrorists emerge from these shelters for operations. The challenge lies in targeting terrorists while minimizing civilian harm, particularly when terrorists occupy public buildings that foreign media might label "schools," though they no longer function as such.
Hamas continues high-trajectory fire, surprisingly using remaining short-range rockets against IDF forces in the Netzarim corridor. "Most rocket fire occurs within Gaza rather than targeting surrounding areas." IDF responses require 30-60 minute civilian evacuation warnings, limiting effectiveness though terrorists typically evacuate too. These responses pressure the population, occasionally resulting in civilians expelling terrorists to avoid military engagement consequences.
Hamas prioritizes survival while the IDF continues degrading their capabilities. Commanders acknowledge progress while recognizing "zero capability isn't the goal."
"The Ruling Party"
While Trump's victory brought liberation to America, Israel remains unchanged, with its academic-legal-media establishment firmly gripping power.
Opposition to military pressure intensifies daily through media channels. Leading journalists, prominent academics, and former security officials regularly criticize the operation, potentially undermining negotiation leverage. The moment Hamas leadership hears influential Israeli voices speaking about military refusal, claims of dictatorship, and accusations of ethnic cleansing, they recognize a strategic stalemate and lose motivation to complete hostage deals.
Some connect the six hostages' murders to the mishandled release of a Bedouin captive four months prior. Detailed accounts emerged of his captors' flight enabling IDF rescue. Rather than maintaining operational secrecy, this led remaining kidnappers to view anyone releasing hostages alive as traitorous. Those considering similar actions likely reconsidered, fearing internal retribution.
The terrorists observe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who briefly appeared to lead Israel toward victory, again becoming the target of calculated public delegitimization. The establishment aims to demoralize Israeli society. Their social media amplifiers outweigh investigations. Legal authorities have detained three intelligence officers under harsh conditions for allegedly leaking sensitive information, drawing praise from establishment media figures who normally oppose such detention practices.
This persists because Israel hasn't experienced America's post-Trump liberation. At Mar-a-Lago, observers witnessed genuine victory euphoria. Israel saw no such transformation after Oct.r 7 or the subsequent three months' victories, symbolized by the IDF chief and prime minister's summit photo.
The question arises whether Israel has become part of the same digital "echo chamber" that characterizes American political discourse. Leading Israeli media figures align closely with former Obama administration narratives, particularly regarding the Iran nuclear deal and regional policy.
Some label it the "Deep State," while others prefer "ruling class." When combined with what analysts call "the thought machine," it creates a powerful authority parallel to elected government. Even respected legal scholars sometimes echo implanted narratives rather than independent analysis.
The recent detention of intelligence officers highlights a deeper divide in Israeli society. Their actions, viewed by some as patriotic and others as dangerous, reflect broader tensions between institutional power and public interest. Unlike cases of deliberate espionage or harm to state security, these officers' motives appear rooted in conscience and concern for public awareness.
The more military and civil service officials become constrained by academic theories and establishment media doctrines, the further they risk straying from their core national mission. The case of the detained intelligence officers falls under the military principle of "citation or censure." What applies on the battlefield equally applies to public consciousness struggles. They acted on conscience – unlike cases of deliberate harm to state security. Even without commendation – still debatable – censure shouldn't equal solitary confinement or character assassination.
