Hamas's evil touched Col. A. as close as possible. It caught him as a step from his home when terrorists arrived on 7 October at the kibbutz gate where he lives with his wife and children near Gaza. Members of the alert squad and the kibbutz chief did succeed in stopping the terrorists, but as far as A., head of information and research in the Coordinating Unit for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is concerned, the account with Hamas has only just been opened.
In parallel with the ground maneuvers and the various operations on the intelligence level, in the air, at sea, and on land, an additional effort is underway. It may be less seen and not always heard, but its importance in decision-making processes and in combat itself is undeniable. The soldiers and officers manning Desk 160, commanded by Col. A., are responsible for bringing about what is happening within the civilian reality in the Gaza Strip. In other words - to tell the story of life itself.
Food distribution in the Gaza Strip, photo: AFP
"Our role within the campaign is to show how the other side thinks. Describe the civilian situation in order to enable the IDF's continued maneuver," explains A. "We live in networks in a meaningful way, and also through the people on the Palestinian side we try to understand how anyone who is not Hamas militarily behaves and perceives reality.
"It is true that there is Hamas, which is the enemy and is also strongly embedded in the population, but at the same time there is a public of 1.9 million civilians who are, at the end, ordinary people, who need to eat, drink, receive medical treatment and shelter, whether a tent or shelter of one kind or another. We need to know how to describe the reality there, mainly in order to help the fighting and so that there will be nothing that will interfere with its progress, until the overthrow and collapse of Hamas' reign of terror.
"In the midst of all this, what can hurt and stop the campaign is if we make a mistake that causes a humanitarian crisis or the killing of non-combatants. Imagine that now they are harming the shelter of a few dozen uninvolved Palestinians, God forbid, that is bad for everyone."
Refugees in the southern Gaza Strip, photo: AFP
According to A., monitoring the locations of shelters and movements of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip is important in order to preserve the legitimacy of the IDF's fighting, and to ward off international political pressure urging Israel to seek a ceasefire before completing the mission. "We are here to bring the information, wage war, remain moral and maintain the hourglass of international, domestic and public legitimacy," he stresses.
"Israel doesn't want to hurt people who shouldn't be hurt. Everyone involved thwarts him, but those who don't - don't. Preventing harm to an uninvolved population is a central interest," he adds, and is quick to clarify: "However, as long as Hamas uses the residents as human shields, harming them in some cases is inevitable."
"Intimidation, threats and shootings"
Despite reports coming out of Gaza in recent days indicating a worsening humanitarian crisis due to shortages of food and drinking water, along with the spread of diseases and infections due to poor sanitary conditions and hospitals heading towards collapse, A. has so far shown no significant signs of concern, insisting that Gaza has not yet fallen below the humanitarian threshold.
"There is a very big challenge for all civilian systems in Gaza, but none of them have collapsed in the southern Gaza Strip and we are not on the verge of collapse. The situation is currently under control," he stresses. "We are in a situation where the Palestinian system needs to be constantly fed, with food trucks being inspected and two water lines flowing into Gaza. The humanitarian threshold required is water, food, a functioning health system at the level of saving lives. All these things exist in the southern Gaza Strip."
Documentation: Hamas terrorists seize humanitarian aid trucks in southern Gaza Strip | Arab networks
It should be noted that Hamas still controls some of the aid brought into the Gaza Strip and uses it for its own purposes. Acts of looting food warehouses and aid trucks by civilians have become daily occurrences, and in some cases Hamas operatives use violence and intimidation against innocent residents, while getting their hands on goods that are supposed to reach the public.
"Buds of loss of control." Col. A., photo: COGAT Spokesperson's Office
"Today it is much harder for Hamas to carry out operations against the population than it did at the beginning of the war, but in areas like Rafah it is still there and doing some of these things – intimidation, threats and shootings," A. says. "Hamas is trying to create governance in the southern region, and this is reflected in the fact that it is working to bring order and trying to decide what will reach whom and what aid will go where."
"Price of loss"
Another sign that Hamas has not yet lost its grip on the southern Gaza Strip is the fact that its operatives continue to summon "rogue" grassroots operatives, such as those who published a post or video criticizing social networks that do not fit the organization's agenda. In these cases, Hamas makes sure to convey to them a direct threat that they should stop. In some places in this area you can still find armed operatives, some even in uniform.
However, according to A., Hamas' governance is eroding as the IDF advances in the fighting, along with what he describes as a significant increase in criticism of the organization within the Gaza public.
"I do see signs of a loss of control by the Hamas system, not only military, but also governance, civilian, municipal and public," he clarifies. "We recognize that there is a significant erosion of Hamas' ability to govern and deter, because the Palestinian public is slowly realizing that Hamas is crumbling. But it is still not absolute, there are still quite a few percent of the public who are not willing to speak out against Hamas out of fear.
"There are parts of the population that support Hamas, but there are other parts that do not support it and clearly criticize it, and we see it happening now, with an open face and an increasing trend. If a week ago we talked about dozens, now it's hundreds and later we'll identify thousands."
According to A., "Sinwar is a frightening man for the Palestinians, who murdered people with his own hands. His image still resonates in the eyes of the resident, but as time passes - it wears out. He is mortal and his end is clear. From what we hear, most of the public in Gaza would love to see him not among the living. The majority sees it as destructive."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us