Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have raised their level of alert among fighters as Israeli threats grow over a possible return to war.
Field sources in Hamas and Islamic Jihad told Asharq Al-Awsat that factions are working on “clear defensive plans” in case Israel resumes fighting along the same lines as its previous military operations in Gaza.
Residents are increasingly concerned about a broad resumption of war months after a ceasefire agreement between the two sides in October, which has been marked by repeated Israeli violations that have killed more than 800 people.
Four sources from the two groups said the plans are based on self-defense if Israel carries out its threats, stressing there are “no plans or intentions to initiate any attack.”
Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir as saying during a visit to troops in Lebanon days ago that the next battle could be in the Gaza Strip, because it has not ended yet, warning that if Hamas obstructs efforts to disarm it, the army would have to resume the war “with full force.”
Avoiding provocations
Two Hamas sources said instructions have been issued to avoid any provocative actions and maintain the current calm despite Israeli violations. A third source said the primary goal is to confront any Israeli military incursions into cities, as was the case before the ceasefire.
For months, Palestinian factions have deployed armed members at night across various areas of the enclave, especially in locations where Israeli special forces or armed groups aligned with Israel could infiltrate, aiming to confront them.
Fighters rotate shifts under a system that requires each member to participate in security duties once or twice a week.
Since a ceasefire was announced under a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, a boundary known as the “yellow line” has divided the Gaza Strip.
Areas east of the line are held by Israel and make up about 55% of the territory, while areas to the west remain under the control of Hamas and other factions.
Factions accuse Israel of using armed groups cooperating with its military to expand the scope of the yellow line and force residents in non-occupied areas to flee.
Killings of Hamas members
Israel has recently targeted security checkpoints manned by faction members, as well as police and security forces affiliated with the Hamas-run government, killing at least 33 police and security personnel since the ceasefire.
The latest victim was a lieutenant colonel in Hamas’s internal security service, Mohammad al-Ghandour, who was killed in an airstrike in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood shortly after midnight between Monday and Tuesday.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry said al-Ghandour was killed when his vehicle was struck, while field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the attack targeted him and another member of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, who was critically wounded as they were stationed at a checkpoint on Al-Jalaa Street in Sheikh Radwan.
Sources said al-Ghandour, who was also active in the Qassam Brigades, had previously survived two assassination attempts, one by drone and another in a strike on his home.
The strike came days after Israeli attacks had paused in deeper western areas beyond the yellow line, where Hamas maintains control.
The Israeli military also announced on Tuesday it had killed what it described as a “Nukhba commander” in Hamas, Anas Mohammad Ibrahim Hammad, accusing him of taking part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Israeli strikes have decreased in recent days at the request of mediators and the senior Gaza representative to the “Board of Peace,” Nickolay Mladenov, to allow room for negotiations underway in Cairo on a new roadmap for the ceasefire agreement.
