Barsam Mohammadi – Regional Affairs Expert
During this time, Hamas has not been destroyed or eliminated, nor have all the prisoners been fully released, nor has Gaza come under the control of the Israeli regime’s army. Most importantly, the resistance of the people of Gaza has not been broken, and the people, as in the early days of the war, continue to stand with the Palestinian Resistance and have not left Gaza.
The Gideon’s Chariots Plan
While all available intelligence assessments—particularly within the Occupied Territories—largely deem the Zionist regime’s success and victory in this war as “impossible,” Netanyahu’s government, which has a peculiar insistence on continuing the war, has recently approved, with the green light from the U.S., a new military operation plan called “Gideon’s Chariots,” which in practice amounts to nothing but the continuation of genocide and the destruction of the people of Gaza.
Netanyahu has stated that the goal of the new military operation in the Gaza Strip—which will be carried out in three phases over two months, with the first phase already underway—is to control the Gaza Strip. The ultimate objective of the Gideon’s Chariots plan is the complete occupation of Gaza and the transfer of approximately one million of its residents to Libya.
Review of the Plan’s Details and Dimensions
Gideon’s Chariots is, first and foremost, a military and security plan that, after consolidating the Israeli regime’s field position in Gaza, seeks to establish a specific political situation in which resistance in all its forms is eradicated in Gaza. Following economic and infrastructural reconstruction, Gaza would be governed through five autonomous local councils—North Gaza, Urban Gaza, Central Gaza, Khan Younis, and Rafah—which would recognize the Zionist regime and have no affiliation with Palestinian factions.
Obstacles and Challenges
Apart from the fact that Palestinian Resistance and Hamas will never allow such a plan to materialize, its implementation faces various obstacles and challenges at three levels: domestic, regional, and international.
- A) Domestic
Netanyahu’s new plan faces three major obstacles within the Occupied Territories: public opinion challenges, a lack of political party cooperation, and logistical issues.
The people in the Occupied Territories, through protest gatherings, demand only the release of prisoners and an end to the war. The continuation of the war holds no appeal for Zionist citizens, who see it as Netanyahu’s tool for political survival.
Executing the new operation in Gaza, which is more time-consuming and intense than previous ones, requires manpower and resources. However, the regime’s army and reserve forces are grappling with severe crises, including psychological pressure from the prolonged war, exhaustion, lack of motivation, disobedience, insubordination, and desertion.
Moreover, the escalating internal disagreements among Zionist officials pose another significant obstacle to implementing the Gideon’s Chariots plan.
In the history of the Zionist regime, there has never been a case where opposition parties and even elements within the cabinet have so openly and explicitly opposed a matter as critical as war, which is a matter of life and death for the regime.
- B) Regional
Given that the occupation of Gaza and the displacement of its population is a red line for many regional countries, Arab and Islamic nations, even those that have shown poor performance regarding the Gaza war, will not allow such a scenario to unfold.
More importantly, the Resistance forces in the region, particularly Yemen’s Ansarullah, which is at the forefront of the battle against the Zionist regime, have reacted strongly to this plan. In response to the Zionist regime’s military operation, Ansarullah has announced a blockade of the port of Haifa, described as the backbone of Israel’s economy.
The Zionist regime’s economy depends on Haifa for 75% of its production, trade, imports, and exports, and for 80% of its food and medical security. Therefore, given Haifa’s strategic importance in meeting Israel’s essential needs, the blockade of this port will undoubtedly have significant consequences for the regime’s economy and foreign trade.
- C) International
Gideon’s Chariots has also faced widespread international opposition, with many Western countries condemning the plan. In response, they have initiated moves to recognize an independent Palestinian state—a move strongly opposed by the Israeli regime.
In addition to Western condemnations, the joint statement by the leaders of Britain, France, and Canada regarding Gaza and their threat to impose sanctions on the Zionist regime and recognize an independent Palestinian state cannot be unrelated to the regime’s military operation in Gaza and serves as a deterrent to the plan’s success.
France’s Foreign Minister, in a recent interview with France Inter Radio, stated:
“We cannot leave a legacy of violence and hatred for the children of Gaza. All of this must stop, and that is why we are determined to recognize the Palestinian state. I am actively working on this because we seek a political solution that benefits the Palestinians as well as Israel’s security.”
Final Point
Over the past 19 months, the resistance of Hamas and the people of Gaza—despite heavy losses and the deaths of many commanders, and the Zionist regime’s all-out war on Gaza with unprecedented U.S. support—has clearly proven that there is no hope for the regime to achieve its military, field, or even political objectives in Gaza.
Given the above, it is already evident that the Zionist regime’s new military operation in the Gaza Strip, dubbed Gideon’s Chariots, which is essentially a new version of war crimes, will ultimately lead nowhere. The capabilities of Hamas and the will of the people of Gaza are far too resilient to be destroyed by war and slaughter. In the end, the Zionist regime will have no choice but to accept a ceasefire and end the Gaza war.
