Hamas trying to incite Gazan population to storm Israeli border, Israeli military officials fear

Senior IDF officials held a security assessment to discuss an extreme scenario in which Hamas could incite the population in central and southern Gaza to storm the Israeli border during a military assessment, Walla reported on Wednesday. In response, the military has allocated intelligence resources and reserve forces, and clarified open-fire orders for senior commanders on the ground.

The military assessment also discussed Hamas’s efforts to prevent the distribution of food packages by an American company at three locations in Rafah. During the discussion, officials noted that tens of thousands of food packages have already been distributed to representatives of families of 50 people each. Each package is designed to last five days.

Hamas has reportedly deployed armed operatives along pedestrian routes to intimidate civilians and prevent them from approaching the distribution centers. In some cases, according to the IDF spokesperson, Hamas terrorists fired live rounds at civilians to deter them. Despite this, residents have found ways to bypass the blockades—from the shelter areas to the distribution centers—in order to receive the food packages. (Read More)