Arab affairs analyst, Zvi Yehezkeli, responded on I24NEWS to the footage of Gazans roaming unhindered on Israel’s border and the IDF's weak response, warning of a Hamas restrengthening.
"I heard the Defense Minister's statement that anyone who approaches the fence will be responsible for his own fate. There is a feeling in Gaza that Hamas is currently moving toward an outline that will dictate the next stage of negotiations. Hamas' working assumption is that it will succeed in regaining control over any territory to which it returns in northern Gaza, without entering into any battle over the land," Yehezkeli said.
He stressed that, "in fact, Hamas is dealing with US President Donald Trump's declaration and his desire in the coming weeks to meet with Arab leaders and convince them to approve his plan vis-à-vis Hamas's desire to establish facts on the ground and say, 'It's too late, you can’t implement the plan.'
“For this reason, we anticipate that in the second stage, Hamas will drag out time, raise the price and create a long delay that will cause Israel to flex the conditions and award Hamas various achievements. As far as Hamas is concerned, it is striving to establish itself in Gaza. The scenes of the Gazans near the fence are painful and obliterate all military achievements we obtained – for nothing – when there are already 1,000 released terrorists walking freely, and we are standing idle and watching how the Gazans have returned to the other side of the fence. It's inconceivable. If Israel does not return to fighting at the end of Phase 1 or after Phase 2, these pictures will become permanent," Yehezkeli estimated.
He believes that without the Trump plan or a return to fighting, Israel will lose its main achievements in the fighting in Gaza. "If Trump doesn't enforce his plan, our achievements were the Philadelphi Corridor, the Netzarim Corridor, and the seizure of territory. We have forfeited all of these and will forfeit even more in the coming months. All the strategic cards were given in the first stage of the deal, while it was not final. The damage is immense and also strategic."