IDF set to begin ground operations in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah for first time

Defence affairs analysis

The Israeli military said Sunday that it was set to begin ground operations in Deir al-Balah for the first time since the start of the war, issuing an evacuation order for Palestinians in the southwest of the city in the central Gaza Strip.

The expansion into Deir al-Balah was announced as fighting continued across the Strip, and alongside ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Qatar, where Israel has accused Hamas of dragging out its response to an Israeli proposal. On Saturday night, thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Deir al-Balah is one of the few places in the Strip where the military has not yet operated with ground troops because it believed Hamas to be holding hostages there, though it has conducted airstrikes in the city. Hamas has vowed to execute captives if the IDF approaches.

The IDF has avoided ground operations in areas where it believes Hamas to be holding hostages, in order not to endanger them.

“Can anyone promise us that this decision will not come at the cost of the loss of our loved ones?” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement after the announcement.

Because of the relatively light fighting in the Deir al-Balah area, refugees from other parts of Gaza have sought shelter there, and most buildings remain standing. During a ceasefire in February, Hamas released three Israeli hostages — Eli Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami — in a ceremony in Deir al-Balah that sparked outrage in Israel.

Sunday’s announcement told civilians to head south to the Mawasi area on the coast, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are already massed.