Amid renewed hostilities in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, the Israeli army has declared new safe zones for Palestinian residents.
The military issued an interactive map in Arabic, delineating evacuation zones “in preparation for the next phase of the war.” The strip has been divided into zones to help residents orient themselves, follow instructions, and move to safety from specific locations if necessary.
The escalation follows the initiation of military operations against Hamas by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), as a week-long ceasefire failed to be restored for the third time. Rockets were reportedly fired from Gaza into Israel just before the ceasefire deadline expired. Israel has additionally accused Hamas of breaching the agreement to release female hostages.
In the initial hours of the renewed conflict, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza reported at least 32 casualties, as Israeli airplanes once again bombarded the strip. Hamas, in response, has accused Israel of rejecting all its attempts to extend the truce. The situation remains tense as both sides engage in renewed hostilities.
Israel knew Hamas’ attack plan over a year ago
It was however unclear whether, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, or any top political leaders saw the document before the attack.
The 40-page document (codenamed “Jericho Wall” by Israeli authorities), reviewed by the New York Times, described the assault design and how it will overwhelm the fortifications around the Gaza Strip, take over Israeli cities, and destroy her military bases.
Apart from these, the documents showed in detail, according to the New York Times, “the location and size of Israeli military forces, communication hubs, and other sensitive information” thus raising questions about how Hamas gathered its intelligence.
There are also questions about why the warning by an official of Israel signals intelligence three months before the attack, was ignored.
However, it is believed that Israel had mistook Hamas’ request for permits to allow Palestinians to work in Israel as an extended hand of peace.
Now, what could have been an intelligence coup turned into one of the worst miscalculations in Israel’s 75-year history.
