The Israeli army on Saturday ordered the evacuation of Jabaliya, in northern Gaza, as it intensified its attacks there because, it said in a statement, Hamas was trying to “reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and its agents in the region.
Israel first invaded northern Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, seizing the territory and pushing south while seizing Hamas strongholds. But the army has not yet decisively defeated Hamas, many analysts say, and its return to Jabaliya is another indicator that the war could drag on.
The Israeli military said it managed to kill many key Hamas commanders in Jabaliya, which it considers a Hamas stronghold and base of operations. In recent weeks, however, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the area – including to Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood and Beit Hanoun – arguing that militants were once again active there. Five soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Friday, at least four of them by an explosive device, the Israeli army said.
On Saturday, hours after urging people to evacuate, the Israeli army said it had begun “strike Hamas terrorist targets” in the Jabaliya area.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of “intensifying its aggression against civilians throughout the Gaza Strip” and vowed to continue fighting.
Israeli military analysts have characterized the apparent resurgence of Hamas in northern Gaza as a result of Israel’s failure to establish an alternative government there, leaving behind a vacuum that allowed the return of an insurgency. Israeli forces sweep through areas, but when they inevitably retreat, Hamas reasserts its control, either directly or through its allies, said Michael Milshtein, a former senior Israeli intelligence official.
“Hamas still rules,” he said. “Their forces have been badly damaged, but they still have capabilities. There is still no alternative in Gaza, and all the alternatives we have tried to put in place have failed.”
For months, the Israeli army has claimed to have “dismantled” most of Hamas’ military battalions. But Israeli leaders have also admitted that their forces will have to engage in a prolonged campaign to suppress what Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, called “pockets of resistance.”
In late March, Israeli forces stormed Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical complex, for the second time, claiming it had become a base for Hamas’ attempt to reassert its power in the northern Gaza. At least 200 people were killed there and hundreds of others arrested, according to the Israeli army.
The battle left much of the hospital in ruins, and Palestinians who returned to the compound reported finding many corpses scattered in and around the hospital.
It is unclear how many people heeded Israel’s warnings to leave Jabaliya. Fatma Edaama, a 36-year-old resident, has not yet left. She said Saturday she hoped the latest fighting would be limited enough to keep her safe.
“Our lives already ended in 2006,” when Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections, leading Israel to begin tightening restrictions on Gaza, she said, adding: “We have no safe place to go. Additionally, most of the people in our house are elderly or sick. Where could we take them?
