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As Israel prepares for a new ground maneuver in Gaza City, military officials say they fear Hamas could use the chaos of mass civilian evacuations to secretly move hostages held in the territory.
In recent days, the army informed families of hostages that it intends to ensure captives are not harmed in the operation, part of a broader campaign dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots II. Officials believe hostages are being held in Gaza City but say they lack precise intelligence on their whereabouts, a factor that heightens the risk.
“It’s clear the operation puts them at risk,” a military official told Ynet and its sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth. “It’s difficult to predict how Hamas will act — whether they will guard the hostages, use them as shields or, God forbid, kill some to manipulate events.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered forces to act with caution, anticipating that Hamas could move hostages south under the cover of tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Gaza City. The army has established designated humanitarian corridors for civilians and pledged not to fire in those areas.
A newly released photograph underscores the military’s concern. Taken by a Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet team on Gaza City’s Sheikh Ajlin beach in November 2023, the image shows Israeli soldiers posting a Hebrew sign instructing hostages to “collapse” so troops could identify them in the crowd. Officials feared even then that Hamas would smuggle captives among civilians moving south.
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A sign posted by Israeli soldiers on the beach in Gaza City’s Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood in November 2023 reads in Hebrew, ‘If you are a hostage, collapse so we can identify you’
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
The army says it intends to avoid striking areas where hostages are suspected, even at the cost of not decisively defeating Hamas forces there. Officials have also told the government that a partial hostage deal — releasing about half of the captives still alive — could enable greater freedom of action in Gaza City.
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