The Israel Defense Forces is reported to be building its forces in and around Gaza, presumably to resume the Israeli war on Gaza as early as Saturday, Feb. 15, if Hamas fails to comply with the demand by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu that they free all hostages by then or “all hell will break loose.” The new buildup of troops in the IDF Southern Command follows a “fresh assessment” after Hamas said it would postpone the release of hostages, reported Times of Israel. The military describes the bolstering of troops as “extensive” and says it includes calling up reservists. “The reinforcements of troops and mobilization of reservists are being carried out in preparation for various scenarios,” the IDF said. The buildup comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued his ultimatum yesterday demanding that Hamas go ahead with this Saturday’s hostage release or else. Netanyahu’s threat to restart the war is in keeping with his promise to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich not to proceed to phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement in return for Smotrich staying in the government.
But if the war is resumed, what will the IDF do that will be different from what it did for 15 months? Retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland, the architect of the so-called “General’s Plan” for the depopulation of northern Gaza, has reportedly concluded that Israel has not achieved its war aims.
