Gallant says no solution to continued Hamas presence in northern Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday that there is no "complete solution" to the pockets of Hamas resistance that have so far withstood the Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, according to reports in Israeli media.

Gallant is quoted as saying that "after the completion of the operation in the north of the Gaza Strip, and its completion in other places as well, the main organizational frameworks were dismantled." However, he continued, "Due to the fact that there are pockets of resistance, there is still fighting."

Earlier today, the Israeli military said it believed Hamas was "rebuilding its forces" in northern Gaza, appointing new heads of its northern battalions after some were killed over the last three months of intense warfare. According to the Israeli army, some of Hamas' northern battalions had been "significantly restored."

On Jan. 1, Israeli army officials announced the military was shifting its tactics in preparation for a long-term war and that its operations would involve a "more targeted" approach. Having announced the withdrawal of troops from northern Gaza shortly after, Israel then recalled one of four battalions operating there on Monday of this week.

However, Reuters reported that several Israeli tanks returned to areas they had previously withdrawn from. Witnesses within Gaza and correspondents reporting from the Israeli side of its border described fighting that had intensified to levels not seen since before the new year.

Reuters reported Tuesday night several rockets fired from within northern Gaza, which appears to be evidence of continued Hamas presence and capabilities, despite the Israeli army's claims that Hamas had been dismantled in the north.

On Jan. 14, Reuters reported the Israeli military as saying it has killed around 9,000 Palestinian fighters and lost 189 soldiers, in its war on Gaza so far.

The Wall Street Journal has often quoted the Israeli army's estimates that Hamas had around 30,000 fighters in Gaza prior to Oct. 7.

While these numbers have not been confirmed by a third party, let alone by Hamas itself, comparing them still reveals the limitations Israel appears to be facing in its stated goal of "crushing" Hamas to the point where the militant group has no standing in the besieged enclave.

Growing tensions on Lebanon-Israel border

In regards to the situation in the north of Israel, Gallant said that the army "may have to force the return of the residents to their homes through military means. We must take into account the possibility of a deterioration in the situation."

On Wednesday, AFP reported Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi as saying that the likelihood of war breaking out on the country's northern border with Lebanon has become "much higher."

"I don't know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past."

Earlier this week, the Israeli army posted a video on X describing Hezbollah as a threat to "all of western civilization." The army posted a separate video about Hezbollah’s elite commando Radwan unit, describing it as "an imminent threat" on Israel’s northern border.