Israel signals possible military operation in Gaza to disarm Hamas

23rd November 2025

3 minutes read

Israel signals possible military operation in Gaza to disarm Hamas

Tel Aviv conditions the start of negotiations to launch the second phase of the agreement on receiving the remaining remains of Israeli captives.

Israeli ministers from the political-security cabinet (the security cabinet) have assessed that a new military operation in the Gaza Strip may be “inevitable”, due to “the growing strength of Hamas and its insistence on keeping its weapons”, according to Israel’s public broadcasting authority.

Citing unnamed informed political sources, the broadcaster reported that cabinet ministers believe that “the increasing capabilities of Hamas in Gaza could make a new military operation unavoidable”, without identifying the ministers.

These sources explained that this assessment was presented during a cabinet session last week, where security agencies reviewed the “situation picture” in Gaza and provided, according to the Israeli narrative, evidence of Hamas’s enhanced capabilities and its refusal to give up its weapons.

In the same context, the broadcaster quoted a senior Israeli official saying that Israel will take military action if the U.S. administration fails to establish a mechanism ensuring the disarmament of Hamas.

Despite recent escalation and incidents that have cast doubt on the ceasefire agreement, Israeli assessments cited by the broadcaster suggest that the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza “will not collapse soon”, and that Hamas “is not trying to undermine the understandings”, but is urging mediators to pressure Israel to comply with the agreement.

The Gaza ceasefire agreement, reached between Hamas and Israel and based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, came into effect on October 10.

The agreement ended a war described as genocidal, launched by Israel on October 8, 2023, which lasted two years and resulted in more than 69,000 deaths, over 170,000 injuries, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.

However, Israel committed numerous violations of the agreement, leading to the killing and injury of hundreds of Palestinians, and continues to impose restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.

On Saturday, Hamas stated in a communiqué that the recent expansion of Israeli army control zones in Gaza constitutes a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement. It called on mediators and the U.S. administration to confront Tel Aviv’s attempts to undermine the ceasefire process in the enclave.

The Israeli broadcaster also quoted an unnamed Palestinian source saying that Hamas “has an interest in reaching the second phase of the agreement”. It noted that a delegation from the movement is expected to arrive in Cairo soon to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip.

An immediate comment from Hamas could not be obtained, although the movement has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the ceasefire and its readiness to move to phase two.

Tel Aviv conditions the start of negotiations for launching this phase on receiving the remaining remains of Israeli captives, while Hamas has stressed that this process requires time due to the massive destruction in Gaza.

Meanwhile, 9,500 missing Palestinians, killed by the Israeli army, remain under the rubble of the war, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

Among the major measures to be implemented in the second phase is the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza.

Last Tuesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution establishing international stabilization forces to be deployed in Gaza, along with a Peace Council chaired by President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s affairs during a transitional period extending until the end of 2027.