Media: Israeli Army Plans New Offensive to Disarm Hamas

Xinhua News Agency, Jerusalem, February 10 (Reporters Pang Xinyi and Feng Guorui) The Israel Times reported on the 10th that the Israel Defense Forces are formulating plans to "launch a new offensive in the Gaza Strip to forcibly disarm the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)."

The report stated that the IDF Southern Command is developing a series of operational plans in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a government order to use military force to disarm Hamas, but the prospects for implementing the plans remain unclear. The Israeli side believes that if the Israel Defense Forces do not take action, it will be "impossible" for Hamas to disarm.

The Israel Times analyzed that since the IDF is no longer constrained by the issue of Israeli hostages, if conflict breaks out again, "the fighting could be more intense and widespread than before."

Hamas senior leader Khaled Meshaal stated on the 8th in Doha, the capital of Qatar, that Hamas should not surrender its weapons and does not accept external forces managing Gaza. Hamas issued a statement on the 7th saying that Israel's continued escalation of military operations in the Gaza Strip severely undermines the ceasefire agreement and disregards the efforts of mediators and the U.S. government to promote a ceasefire.