JERUSALEM — Over a year into the ongoing conflict that has spread turmoil across the Middle East, Israeli forces continue their confrontations with Hamas in the most devastated and isolated areas of the Gaza Strip.
In northern Gaza, Hamas combatants engage in swift hit-and-run tactics from the ruins of bombed structures. Local inhabitants report that Israeli troops have stormed shelters set up for displaced individuals, forcing them out at gunpoint. Emergency responders are struggling to carry out their duties due to relentless Israeli airstrikes.
Since the outbreak of hostilities following Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7, the militant group has suffered significant casualties. The recent death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar, has been seen as a potential shift in the dynamics of the conflict; however, progress towards a ceasefire remains elusive. Hamas continues to exert control in Gaza while still holding a number of hostages.
The war has attracted militants from various regions, including Lebanon and Yemen, with their primary backer, Iran, edging closer to the brink of a full-scale conflict with Israel. Yet in northern Gaza, hostilities are caught in a cycle of devastating offensives and Hamas’s attempts to regroup and retaliate.
Israel is now enacting widespread evacuation orders and imposing stringent restrictions on aid, drawing international criticism. The military claims that hospitals are being utilized by militants, leading to raids in these facilities.
In the northern coastal town of Beit Lahiya, which was one of the early targets of last year’s ground assault, Israeli bombardments this week resulted in the deaths of at least 88 Palestinians, including many women and children. Israel’s military stated their target was a militant spotter.
As the conflict continues, Israel has escalated its measures, with discussions emerging about implementing a severe strategy that former military leaders have proposed, urging for a “surrender-or-starve” approach.
This week, Israel passed new legislation that may greatly limit the operations of the United Nations agency that is the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, despite protests from the U.S. and other allies. They accuse the agency of being compromised by Hamas, a claim the U.N. has rejected.
In a renewed offensive, the Israeli military concentrated on Jabaliya, a congested urban refugee camp where it believes Hamas has maintained a presence. On that day, Hamas assaults purportedly led to approximately 1,200 civilian deaths, and an additional 250 people were abducted. As a result of the continuing military operations, over 43,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, according to health officials in Gaza.
Israel claims to have neutralized over 17,000 fighters, although it has not provided specific evidence to support this figure. U.S. intelligence suggests that Hamas is currently incapable of conducting assaults similar to October 7. Nevertheless, Israeli forces often find themselves returning to previously contested areas, facing renewed assaults each time. Reports indicate that at least 16 Israeli soldiers have died in northern Gaza since the escalation began.
At present, Israel has yet to outline a definitive plan for governance in post-war Gaza, rejecting U.S. suggestions for the Western-backed Palestinian Authority to return and oversee the area. Even now, visible patrols by Hamas security forces continue throughout many regions.
“This is an unending conflict,” remarked Michael Milshtein, formerly of Israeli military intelligence, now directing a Palestinian studies program at Tel Aviv University. He asserted that Israel has two primary pathways: to completely reoccupy Gaza, which would necessitate a prolonged military presence, or to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas that could see the exchange of hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal—an agreement that has long evaded both U.S. and Arab mediators.
“We’ve entered Jabaliya for the fourth time, and perhaps we will find ourselves there again within the next month,” he commented.
Around a million residents fled from northern areas, including Gaza City, when Israel mandated extensive evacuations at the war’s outset. They have not been permitted to return. Approximately 400,000 individuals remain trapped in a region encircled by Israeli troops, with substantial destruction to entire neighborhoods and essential services.
The U.N. estimates that over 60,000 people have recently joined the displaced in Gaza City from Jabaliya and the nearby border communities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
Residents still in these areas report being confined to their homes for extended periods due to ongoing violence, with casualties left in the streets and rescue operations halted.
Amna Mustafa and her children were asleep in a makeshift shelter last week when an Israeli drone called for an evacuation. “If you care about your life and the lives of your children, leave now,” it urged.
She described men being commanded to undress before being transported away. The Israeli military contends it takes precautions to avoid civilian harm and implements searches to detain militants said to be concealed among civilian populations.
Women and children were directed towards a nearby health facility, where military personnel conducted searches before allowing many to proceed towards Gaza City, several kilometers away. Mustafa indicated that she spent two nights exposed to the elements before relocating to a temporary camp.
“There is no food, water, blankets, diapers, or milk for the kids,” she lamented. “We are just here waiting for a miracle.”
The Israeli forces shared footage showing the large-scale movement of people fleeing, suggesting that Hamas had previously obstructed their exit, although no evidence was provided.
The U.N.’s human rights office raised alarms earlier this month, warning that Israel might be contributing to the systematic destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza’s northernmost regions.
Israel has enforced severe limitations on the humanitarian aid reaching Gaza throughout October, facilitating only about a third of what had arrived the previous month.
World Food Program spokeswoman Alia Zaki stated that Israel has barred U.N. agencies from delivering assistance to the northern regions outside of Gaza City since the initiation of the current offensive.
Colonel Elad Goren, a representative of COGAT (the Israeli military body overseeing civilian matters in Gaza), cited holiday shutdowns and troop relocations as reasons for the supply issues in the first half of the month. He claimed there was no necessity for aid in Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, stating that neither locality had any remaining inhabitants—this was noted before the recent strikes in Beit Lahiya that caused numerous casualties.
The Biden administration has urged Israel to boost aid supplies entering Gaza, cautioning its officials about potential implications under U.S. law that could affect military support.
Concerns are growing that Israel might be pursuing a scheme outlined by former generals, wherein aid would be cut off from the north, civilians would supposedly be expected to vacate, and anyone who stayed would be labeled as a combatant. Human rights advocates assert that this would contravene international law.
During his recent visit to the region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disclosed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured him that Israel had not implemented such a plan, and the military has denied following those directives. Yet, the Israeli government has not publicly dismissed this strategy even after Blinken’s discussions.
Milshtein noted that the very consideration of this plan reflects a desperate “post-traumatic phenomenon.”
“Many people in the Israeli military recognize it isn’t a viable strategy… But responses like, ‘We lack alternative plans, so let’s attempt this’ are being voiced.”