Israel vs Hamas: Talks and strikes go together in Gaza

The Gaza conflict, now well into its one year and eighth month since the outbreak of war after October 7 raids by Hamas in 2023, has entered a critical juncture. With Israel announcing a new phase of “extensive ground operations” in Gaza — just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly signalled openness to a comprehensive deal with Hamas — the apparent paradox of simultaneous escalation and negotiation is drawing global attention.

The escalation: Operation Gideon’s Chariots

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced the initiation of a major new ground offensive in both the northern and southern parts of Gaza under the campaign named Operation Gideon’s Chariots. The operation involves five IDF divisions currently deployed within the enclave reflecting the largest surge of Israeli ground troops in Gaza since the early stages of the war.

IDF chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir made it clear that the main goal is still to weaken the enemy and dismantle its networks in every area of operation. However, he also stressed the need to stay flexible on the battlefield in order to avoid disrupting the ongoing hostage talks taking place in Qatar.

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The renewed offensive reportedly includes aerial bombardments — over 670 Hamas targets were struck over the past week — as well as a land invasion targeting key Hamas positions. Israeli officials state that the operation aims not only to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities but also to assert control over aid distribution routes and strategically relocate civilians from northern to southern Gaza.

Despite the tactical successes claimed by the IDF, including further destruction to Hamas infrastructure, the humanitarian toll is devastating. The Hamas-run health ministry reported that all public hospitals in northern Gaza were “out of service,” with patients being forcibly evacuated from facilities such as the Indonesian Hospital amid active fire.

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The diplomatic front

Remarkably, the intensified offensive has not curtailed, but rather coexisted with, active diplomatic negotiations. Only hours before launching the new military phase, Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Israel is considering a broader deal with Hamas that would include not just a temporary ceasefire but possibly a full end to hostilities.

Netanyahu’s office said that even at that moment, the negotiation team in Doha was working hard to explore every possible way to reach a deal — either based on the Witkoff framework or as part of a plan to end the fighting. This plan would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas fighters and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip. This statement marked a shift from Israel’s previously rigid position that insisted only on short-term pauses in fighting.

US envoy Steve Witkoff lent his name to a proposal that started as a limited arrangement. The idea centred on a short-term halt in combat lasting 45 days, during which roughly 10 hostages would be freed. But Netanyahu’s revised approach, which now includes discussions around disarmament and a complete cessation of the war, suggests Israel may be preparing for a political off-ramp — the one that ensures Hamas’s total capitulation.

Still, this move is seen as a tactic. An Israeli official told Ynet that they were giving Hamas a chance to step back from the edge before Israel takes more serious military action in Gaza. The message was clear: if Hamas does not give in now, any future deal will be made under much harsher military conditions.

The hostage dilemma

The fate of the hostages continues to be a key focus in both the public discourse and diplomatic efforts surrounding the war. After Hamas took 251 Israelis hostage during its attack on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government has made their return a top national goal. As of now, 197 captives have been freed, but 58 are still held in Gaza. It is reported that around 23 of them are believed to be alive.

The hostage issue functions as both a moral imperative and a tactical lever. The military campaign is framed in part as a way to pressure Hamas into concessions and the diplomatic talks are largely hostage-centric. Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire in return for any further hostage release — demands that Israel, until recently, categorically rejected.

Now, with Israeli troops closing in on what it describes as key Hamas strongholds, the implications may be shifting. Netanyahu’s readiness to consider halting the conflict in return for the release of all captives and the dismantling of Hamas’s weapons signals a shifting approach—one that blends force on the ground with high-stakes political negotiation.

War and peace

The simultaneous escalation of violence and engagement in diplomacy reflects a dual strategy deeply embedded in Israeli military doctrine. By intensifying military pressure, Israel aims to weaken Hamas’s bargaining position and raise the cost of continued resistance.

Israeli media quoted Lt Gen Zamir as saying that a hostage deal should not be seen as a pause in the fighting, but as an achievement. He said diplomacy was not a sign of weakness, but another kind of success made possible by continued military pressure.

However, this strategy carries significant risks. Hamas may interpret the renewed offensive as bad faith or a signal that Israel is uninterested in genuine compromise, potentially hardening its stance in the Doha negotiations. On the other hand, the continuation of the war also exacts a steep toll on Israeli society, international relations and the lives of Gaza’s 2 million residents.

A fragmented future

A leaked map reported by the Sunday Times sheds further light on Israel’s long-term strategy. The map allegedly shows a reconfiguration of Gaza into three “civilian zones” separated by four IDF-controlled military areas, with 12 humanitarian aid distribution centres managed by foreign companies.

Though the IDF has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the map, its contents suggest that Israel may be planning to fragment and micromanage the territory even post-conflict, effectively neutralising Gaza as a cohesive political entity.

If implemented, this plan could prevent Palestinians from moving freely within Gaza and entrench a form of semi-permanent military governance. It may also be intended as a blueprint to replace Hamas’s governing authority, yet it raises critical legal and ethical questions about occupation, sovereignty and the future of Palestinian self-determination.

Negotiation through fire

As events unfold, it is clear that Israel is leveraging its battlefield successes to create favourable conditions for a negotiated end to the war. Yet, the fusion of talks and strikes carries both promise and peril. On one hand, it maintains pressure on Hamas to come to the table with fewer demands. On the other, it risks destroying the very trust necessary for any meaningful agreement.

The dual strategy being employed by Israel — intense military action paired with flexible, albeit conditional diplomacy — is nothing but the complexity of modern asymmetric warfare. In Gaza, peace may not come at the end of the war, but through it. For now, the guns roar while the negotiators whisper — both part of the same choreography of war and diplomacy.