The Israeli military has warned it will operate with “unprecedented force” in Gaza City but reportedly with little idea as to where Hamas and the hostages are. “The IDF will continue to act with great and unprecedented force against Hamas and the other terror organizations,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman said yesterday, reported the Times of Israel . “For your safety, take the opportunity and join the hundreds of thousands of [Gaza] City residents who have moved south to the humanitarian area, and do not allow Hamas to exploit you as human shields.”
The military on Sept. 19 said it estimated that 480,000 Gaza City residents have fled since late August. That means there are still roughly half a million people still in the city, many of whom lack the means to leave.
But unnamed Israeli officers have told Middle East Eye that the IDF isn’t even certain that Hamas has much of a presence in Gaza City. One such officer, who was involved in planning intelligence-based operations in the north, told MEE that Israel does not have precise intelligence on Hamas or the captives. “Is Hamas there? Are we sure? They could be anywhere. Are the hostages there? We don’t know,” he said. “For a long time, we have combed through the city with low-intensity manipulative strikes and intelligence channels. We targeted every suspicious vehicle, every person. Even if they are there, it is becoming harder by the day to say they have revealed themselves.”
