Report: IDF warns Hamas is readying to return to war; US opposes new Israeli offensive

The Israel Defense Forces’ Military Intelligence Directorate and Southern Command submitted a warning last week to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir that Hamas’s military wing is preparing for renewed war with Israel, the Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday.

According to the unsourced report, the officers warned that Hamas has been producing hundreds of explosive devices and anti-tank missiles every month, and has been recruiting fresh fighters between the ages of 18 and 22. They said that the terror group also recently restarted training for members of its elite Nukhba force.

Hamas was also said to be rebuilding underground infrastructure across Gaza that was destroyed by the IDF over two years of war with the terror group, and is trying to smuggle drones and communication devices from Sinai, the report added.

“Hamas is strong on the ground,” the officers reportedly warned Zamir. “Nobody is threatening it, and the organization is unwilling to give up control of Gaza.”

In light of this information, the report said the IDF believes that it must restart its offensive against Hamas, but the United States is opposed to this option. Instead, it said, Washington prefers to preserve the current status quo in the Gaza Strip while continuing to advance US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative.

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Trump’s plan for Gaza, endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, resulted in the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025, two years after the war erupted with the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The second phase of the plan, which provides for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and the deployment of an international security force, has yet to materialize, however.

Hamas has insisted that it should not be required to disarm until Israel upholds all the conditions of the initial phase of the plan regarding humanitarian aid, pulling back troops, and halting strikes.

In turn, the Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, has argued that Hamas should only expect Israel to adhere to these commitments if the terror group agrees to the phase two disarmament requirement.

Gaza strikes

As the plan has failed to advance, the IDF has been carrying out strikes in Gaza on a near-daily basis, despite the ceasefire, saying it is responding to violations of the truce, including by thwarting plans by terrorists to attack troops.

On Monday, it announced that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative who invaded Israel on October 7 and abducted civilians was killed in a strike in northern Gaza on Sunday.

It identified the target as Islamic Jihad member Zaher Abu Salem.

“Abu Salem took part in abducting Israeli civilians from their homes and holding them in captivity,” the military said.

The IDF says that during the war and recently, Abu Salem attempted to advance attacks on IDF troops and Israeli civilians, and therefore, he “posed a threat.”

Separately, Hamas-affiliated news outlets in Gaza reported that three people were killed in a strike in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, on Monday morning.

According to the reports, the dead included eight-year-old Malek Abu Shawish.

There was no immediate comment from the IDF.

#فيديو| نقل إصابات جراء قصف نفذته طائرة مسيرة في محيط جسر وادي السلقا بشارع البركة في مدينة دير البلح. pic.twitter.com/ViPrGAJhlt

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 29, 2026

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the ceasefire in October 2025, according to the Hamas‑run health ministry in Gaza, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Five Israeli soldiers have been killed during the same period.

Alongside the strikes across Gaza, the IDF has slowly been pushing out the boundaries of the area inside the enclave still under its control, saying it now controls at least 60 percent of the Strip, rather than the roughly 53% following its pullback on the first day of the truce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month he had ordered the military to retake additional territory, amounting to 70% of the enclave.

In the areas not controlled by Israel, Hamas remains in place as the enclave’s de facto government, as power will only be handed over to a transitional authority once the terror group agrees to give up its weapons.

Although battered by war, the terror group is reported to be maintaining its control over the Strip by executing its opponents and those it views as posing a threat to its rule.

Jacob Magid contributed to this report.