Israel's intelligence inside Gaza has improved so much that it now shapes targeting choices, The Jerusalem Post reports. Military sources told the Israeli news site Walla that the IDF is refraining from killing Hamas municipal officials, out of concern that their deaths could collapse Gaza's governing institutions.
The Post describes the policy as unprecedented. It grants immunity to mayors and senior officials in Hamas's governmental and municipal systems. Military sources told Walla the worry is that killing the heads of local Hamas authorities could bring down governing institutions in the Gaza Strip and trigger civilian chaos that Israel would have to deal with. Part of that assessment, the Post reports, is that international aid organizations would be unable to fill the power vacuum. The current government opposes the Palestinian Authority taking control of Gaza and wants a third party to administer the territory instead of Hamas.
The fight against Hamas terrorists goes on. The IDF and the Shin Bet are keeping a high operational pace, carrying out two to three targeted killings each day against terrorists and commanders in Hamas's military wing, the Post reports. Those killed include terrorists who took part in the October 7 massacre, as well as others preparing attacks on Israel or rebuilding Hamas's terrorist infrastructure.
Behind the new policy is a dramatic improvement in intelligence gathering. Security officials say that over the past year, Military Intelligence Directorate units and the Shin Bet have developed human sources on the ground and used conditions there to obtain accurate, real-time intelligence. Those capabilities are combined with those of IDF Southern Command and the Israel Air Force, the Post reports. Before October 7, the Post notes, Israel was short of human sources in Gaza and relied on intelligence gathered from mobile phones.
Terrorists now have fewer hiding places, fewer tunnels and a serious shortage of senior commanders with operational experience, the Post reports. Hamas's military wing is working to rebuild its intelligence on IDF activity along the Yellow Line and deeper inside Gaza. Still, Hamas keeps control of Gaza's civilian administration: the economy, internal security, energy, education, healthcare and local authorities. Even where its grip looks weaker, Southern Command officials say, Hamas shapes public sentiment through arrests, interrogations, violence and intimidation.
