As Operation Gideon’s Chariots Begins, Netanyahu Pledges Israel Will Control Gaza

Israel has begun a new aggressive operation in Gaza aimed at controlling Gaza.  

“There is huge fighting going on, intense and huge, we are going to control all parts of Gaza,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message Monday. 

Netanyahu’s goals remain twofold—the release of the remaining 58 hostages being held in Gaza and the total elimination of Hamas.  

Under Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which officially began over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces will not retreat from any area troops gain control of but will assume control of conquered territory.  

During the first day of the operation, Israel “struck over 160 terror targets in Gaza including an operations center and an anti-tank missile post,” the IDF announced on X Monday. Struck targets included terrorist cells in northern Gaza, weapons storage and underground infrastructure in central Gaza, and military structures in southern Gaza.  

Under the new operation, the IDF plans to “give advance warnings to uninvolved civilians to make sure they get out of harm’s way, control the battlefield, protect Israeli civilians, and dismantle Hamas’ leadership and capabilities,” IDF International spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said in a video shared on X Sunday.  

Aid trucks carrying food are reportedly being allowed into Gaza on Monday to prevent a starvation crisis. Israel’s approval of the aid comes after President Donald Trump has said Palestinian civilians are starving in Gaza.

Negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal did take place between Israel and Hamas in Qatar over the weekend, but a deal has yet to be agreed upon. Axios reports that White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has presented Israel and Hamas with an updated ceasefire and hostage deal that would include the release of 10 hostages in exchange for the release of some Palestinian prisoners and a 45- to 60-day ceasefire.  

Sources tell Axios that Netanyahu likes the deal but has additional conditions and some reservations about agreeing to it, and Hamas has not given a positive answer. In the meantime, Israel’s new operation in Gaza is advancing rapidly.  

Israeli strikes last week in Gaza were reported to have killed de facto Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar, the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The Times of Israel reports that Muhammad Sinwar’s body was found in a tunnel in Gaza. There are also reports that Zakaria Sinwar, another brother, was killed Saturday in an Israeli airstrike.  

Netanyahu remains committed to accomplishing “all of Israel’s war goals, including the release of all our hostages, destroy Hamas’ military and governance capabilities and ensure that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement last week.