Col. Omri Mashiah, commander of the Gaza Division's Northern Brigade, warned local security coordinators from Gaza border communities last weekend that fighting may resume because Hamas has not been disarmed, a participant in the tour told ynet.
“Fighting will probably resume because Hamas has not yet been disarmed,” Mashiah said during a tour he led in northern Gaza, according to the participant.
Residents of Kibbutz Nahal Oz said Mashiah delivered a similar message to them, saying: “Hamas is trying to rebuild its strength, but in the end, that is a decision for the political leadership.”
The warnings from the northern brigade commander came two years and seven months after the Oct. 7 massacre and after repeated statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers about disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.
The reality on the ground appears different. Hamas continues to control areas not held by Israel, and its governing mechanisms continue to operate and recruit new members. Videos circulating on social media show armed Hamas operatives traveling in pickup truck convoys and demonstrating their presence and control on the ground.
During the tour with the local security coordinators, Mashiah took them to the towns of Jabaliya and Beit Hanoun in the enclave's north. The coordinators are civilian security officials in Israeli communities who work with the military and emergency services.
One participant said Mashiah wanted them to see IDF activity up close. “We were near the Indonesian Hospital, and he gave a situation assessment,” the participant said. “He said that, in his view, ‘the final word has not yet been said’ and that ‘there is a chance fighting will resume because Hamas has not yet been disarmed.’”
The local security coordinator said the message was clear. “We understood from him that if this is the situation, there is a likelihood that we will return to fighting again and everything will start over,” he said. “Unfortunately, it did not surprise any of us. We have great respect for him, and it is clear he is not the one making the decisions. At least we can ‘settle’ for what has been achieved so far. For now, we have a hold on most of the territory in the Gaza Strip.”
A resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz who attended a meeting with Mashiah described the conversation as “very tough.”
“We mainly spoke about the possibility of renewed fighting and the reduction of forces inside the kibbutz,” the resident said. “Regarding the fighting, he said, ‘We have not removed the threat, we have not reached the goals that were set, Hamas is trying to rebuild its strength and we, the commanders in the field, think the fighting should be renewed.’”
The resident said Mashiah was relatively cautious. “He said, ‘In the end, this is not our decision, because it is a decision for the political leadership,’” the resident said.
On the reduction of forces, the resident said Mashiah explained that troops are deployed inside Gaza. “We told him that does not interest us — we want to see soldiers inside the kibbutz,” the resident said. “He did not accept our position. In the end, they cut the forces.”
The Gaza Strip
(Video: Roni Green Shaulov)
In late December, Mashiah told reporters during a tour of northern Gaza that “at this stage, there is no significant threat and the enemy is weak,” but he warned then that “we are still destroying terror infrastructure, and the enemy has not abandoned its ambitions. It reaches the yellow line on a daily basis.”
Last month, Col. Gil Werner, commander of the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, acknowledged that Hamas’ situation in central Gaza was relatively strong and said the terror group maintained full operational control in the area.
The IDF had again reduced the number of reservists stationed in rapid response units in Gaza border communities. Residents of Nahal Oz and Kfar Aza reacted angrily to the decision. “It is impossible to maintain safe community life without an effective military defense force operating continuously inside the kibbutz,” they warned.
Nahal Oz said it appealed Wednesday to members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. “As long as the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip has not been completed and Hamas rule has not been removed, the presence of a military force inside the community is not a supplementary component, but a basic condition for safe life here,” the kibbutz said. “Any reduction of forces at this stage could harm the rehabilitation process and residents’ security. We demand your intervention in the crisis over the defense of the community.”
The kibbutz’s local security coordinator said the reduction was premature. “Nothing is over, and the army decided this is the time to thin out the forces,” he said. “How can they tell us on one hand that ‘Hamas is rebuilding its strength’ and ‘the fighting will resume,’ and on the other hand reduce our positions? It is not clear why this is being done at this stage, when there has been no decision and residents here have not regained their sense of security. It is a puzzling decision.”
The security coordinator also referred to a state comptroller’s report released Tuesday that addressed the role of local security coordinators.
“It is important to note amid all this the lack of appreciation and confusion surrounding the role of the local security coordinator,” he said. “We answer to several different bodies. We do not have one clear authority, and that creates chaos. The salary is low and inadequate, there is no clear job definition and the kibbutz keeps adding more and more responsibilities as it sees fit.”