Netanyahu wants a complete victory, and Gantz supports a long pause... and the fighting in Khan Yunis is intensifying

Israeli officials have begun to formulate a plan to end the war on the Gaza Strip that sets a timetable acceptable to both Tel Aviv and Washington, and includes in any case attacking the border city of Rafah, regardless of a possible agreement with Hamas on a prisoner and detainee exchange deal.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that decision-makers in Israel are working on developing a strategic plan to end the war, and among the members of the limited government (the war council), at least two such plans are being drawn up, which are supposed to ensure the achievement of all the goals of the war or the absolute majority of them. The first is the plan of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his envoy to the United States, Minister of Strategic Affairs and member of the War Council as well as Ron Dermer, and the second is the plan of the two ministers in the War Council, former Chiefs of Staff Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, there are no major differences between the two plans except for the timetables, and the fact that Gantz and Eisenkot are ready in principle to reveal their position and discuss it in the Council of Ministers, while Netanyahu fears the reaction of his coalition partners, and therefore he is not ready to discuss his plan even in the future. The government is limited, and he is content with secretly negotiating it with senior officials in the Joe Biden administration, through Dermer.

The strategic plan proposed by Gantz and Eisenkot is supposed to achieve “victory” in stages, with Israel agreeing to a long cessation of fighting for the purpose of the hostage deal, and then resuming it in order to continue dismantling Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities.

Gantz and Eisenkot say: “Yes” to the deal, but “No” to the demand to commit to ending the war once and for all.

Among other things, the Gantz and Eisenkot plan aims to preserve and enhance military and political assistance from the US government, and they believe that the Israeli announcement of a long truce in the fighting for the purpose of implementing the hostage deal will significantly reduce the internal and external pressure on President Biden, and he will be able to significantly claim that He succeeded in stopping hostilities.

According to the plan of Gantz and Eisenkot, during a long pause in Gaza, the army will intensively prepare for the resumption of fighting, training its forces, replenishing weapons stocks, and updating combat methods and plans, with the war ending by June, that is, about five months before the elections. November US Presidential Day.

The plan of the former chiefs of staff includes establishing civilian rule in Gaza, maintaining security control there, and promoting Arab normalization, and in their opinion, this is the closest thing that can be achieved to “victory” after the horrors of October 7. As for Netanyahu, he wants “complete victory” within a short time.

Yedioth Ahronoth said that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant hope to achieve a complete military defeat of Hamas, and eliminate the movement’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, and the organization’s leadership in Gaza by seizing Rafah before or during the month of Ramadan.

Netanyahu and Gallant believe that entering Rafah, even if it does not immediately lead to the liquidation of Sinwar, will soften the position of the Hamas leadership and allow for a “reasonable” deal to release the hostages. It will also enable Israel to make decisions from a position of strength regarding the next day, including the Philadelphia axis with Egypt and in the north with Lebanon.

Netanyahu is pressuring Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy to complete the dismantling of Hamas in Khan Yunis and begin seizing Rafah. But Netanyahu's problem is that Halevy still needs time to finish work in Khan Yunis, and a few more weeks to implement the Rafah evacuation plan before the attack.

According to Netanyahu's plan, the fighting will end around April, after the month of Ramadan, and then the fourth phase will move to the security control of the Gaza Strip.

The revelation of Israeli plans to end the war came at a time when Israel further deepened its attack in Khan Yunis (south of the Gaza Strip), which has been witnessing fierce fighting for more than 70 days.

Israel bombed large areas in Khan Yunis, and blew up a residential square in the center of the city, while on Tuesday it surrounded Nasser Hospital and demanded its evacuation.

An Israeli army spokesman said that the forces of the 98th Division established their operational control west of Khan Yunis, killed Hamas fighters, carried out raids on infrastructure, sniper ambushes and patrols, and destroyed warehouses to store combat equipment, while fighters of the 646th Brigade (paratroopers in reserve) engaged in fierce fighting in the Abasan area in Khan Yunis, killing militants, raiding a lot of infrastructure, and discovering an underground path. They also confiscated weapons, mobile phones, hand grenades, ammunition clips, military clothing, and combat manuals.

In contrast, the “Al-Qassam Brigades” affiliated with the “Hamas Movement” said that its fighters clashed “with a Zionist foot force consisting of 7 soldiers from a distance of zero in the Abasan Al-Kabira area, east of the city of Khan Yunis, and caused them to be killed and wounded. They were also able to detonate an anti-personnel device.” A Zionist force of 5 soldiers barricaded themselves inside a house in the Abasan Al-Kabira area.

The Israeli army admitted that 3 were killed in the Abasan bombing.

The military spokesman said that during the activity of the fighters, an explosive device exploded in a booby-trapped building, and as a result of the explosion, the commander of the “630 Battalion,” Lieutenant Colonel (reserve) Nathaniel Alkobi, and the acting commander of one of the “630 Battalion” companies, Major (reserve) Yair Cohen, and a reserve fighter, were killed. Assistant (reserve) Ziv Chen belonged to the 630th Battalion, while other fighters were wounded.

Since the beginning of last December, Israel has been focusing on the fighting in Khan Yunis, hoping to reach the leaders of the last October 7 attack, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, his brother Muhammad, the commander of the Khan Yunis Brigade, and the general commander of al-Qassam, Muhammad al-Deif. And his deputy, Marwan Issa.

Israel needs to finish the battle of Khan Yunis, before moving on to attack the border city of Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas.

Israeli leaders confirmed that they are continuing to attack Rafah, which is densely populated, where one and a half million Palestinians live, the majority of whom are displaced, despite all international warnings and demands to refrain from the attack, which will leave a sea of blood.