The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Jabaliya in northern Gaza on Saturday as it stepped up attacks there because, it said in a statement, Hamas was trying to “reassemble its terrorist infrastructure and agents in the area.”
Israel first invaded northern Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, seizing the territory and advancing south while taking Hamas strongholds. But the military has not yet decisively defeated Hamas, many analysts say, and its return to Jabaliya was another indicator that the war could drag on.
The Israeli military has said it successfully killed many of Hamas’s key commanders in Jabaliya, which it considers a Hamas stronghold and base of operations. However, in recent weeks, Israeli forces repeatedly returned to the area (including Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood and Beit Hanoun) arguing that militants were again active there. Five soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Friday, at least four of them by an explosive device, the Israeli military said.
On Saturday, hours after urging people to evacuate, the Israeli military said it had begun “striking Hamas terrorist targets” in the Jabaliya area.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of “intensifying its aggression against civilians throughout Gaza” and vowed to continue fighting.
Israeli military analysts called Hamas’ apparent resurgence in northern Gaza a result of Israel’s failure to establish an alternative government there, leaving behind a vacuum that allowed an insurgency to return. Israeli forces raze areas, but when they inevitably withdraw, Hamas reasserts its control, either directly or through allies, said Michael Milshtein, a former senior Israeli intelligence official.
“Hamas still rules,” he said. “His forces have been severely damaged, but they still have capabilities. There is still no alternative for them in Gaza, and all the alternatives we tried to establish failed.”
For months, the Israeli military has claimed to have “dismantled” most of Hamas’s military battalions. But Israeli leaders have also admitted that their forces will have to wage a prolonged campaign to quell what Yoav Gallant, the Israeli 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 dominance in northern Gaza. According to the Israeli military, at least 200 people were killed there and hundreds more were arrested.
The battle left much of the hospital in ruins, and Palestinians who returned to the complex described finding numerous bodies scattered in and around it.
It was unclear how many people heeded Israel’s warnings to abandon Jabaliya. Fatma Edaama, a 36-year-old resident, has not left yet. She said Saturday that she hoped the latest clashes would be limited enough to allow her to remain safe.
“Our lives already ended in 2006,” when Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections, prompting Israel to begin tightening restrictions on Gaza, he said, adding: “There is nowhere safe for us to go. Added to that, most of the people in our house are elderly or sick. Where could we take them?