According to a report first published by Walla, the Israel Defense Forces now control about 70% of the Gaza Strip after engineering operations meant to find terror infrastructure above and below ground and push threats away from the so-called Yellow Line. The IDF is also striking terror targets from the air deeper inside the territory, or from the ground, to stop attempts to cross that line.
The report says Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has already approved plans from Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor for renewed fighting if the mediation talks with Hamas collapse and the group does not give up its weapons. Security sources said the current effort to rebuild Gaza is moving too slowly for what the authorities want.
At the same time, contacts have begun with Israeli companies to crush demolished Palestinian buildings across Gaza on an enormous scale. The goal is to turn the ruins into recycled construction material, move much of it elsewhere, and clear the land for new housing and infrastructure. The source says this is tied to a technocratic government expected to take responsibility from Hamas and begin reconstruction, including a plan to build a city on the ruins of Rafah with 50,000 buildings and supporting infrastructure for Palestinians in a terror-free area.
One security official warned, “There will be no choice but to renew the fighting,” saying only continued war would disarm Hamas, destroy its underground network, and dismantle its weapons production and storage sites. Military estimates say Hamas has a strong incentive to sabotage any process that reduces its authority, so it may target the infrastructure project indirectly. The IDF is carrying out broad engineering work in the Rafah area in coordination with the United States, while American officials are promoting tenders for the engineering work that would require many machines to enter Gaza under heavy security.
