Gaza: Fearing being tracked by Israeli forces as the ceasefire becomes increasingly fragile, senior Hamas operatives in Gaza have been instructed to stop using cell phones while Tel Aviv put its forces along the Gaza border on alert after Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to resume fighting if all hostages are not freed.
“In accordance with the situational assessment and the decision to raise the level of readiness in the Southern Command, it was decided to increase reinforcements with additional troops, including reservists,” the IDF said on Wednesday.
The senior leadership of the group has instructed their fighters to refrain from using mobile phones, fearing they could be tracked by Israeli forces, according to a report by Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat.
Israel warns of resuming Gaza offensive
This directive follows a warning from Israel that it would resume “intense fighting” in the Gaza Strip unless Hamas releases a certain number of hostages by Saturday, though the exact number Israel expects to be freed remains unspecified.
Sources within Hamas revealed that the order to stop using mobile phones was already drafted before the group announced the postponement of the hostages’ release this weekend. However, the instruction was not expected to be issued until the end of the first phase of the ceasefire. It was advanced, though, in light of preparations by both Israel and Hamas for the potential collapse of the deal sooner than anticipated.
The main reason behind Hamas’s decision to halt the use of phones is the group’s concern that Israel could track down and target its senior commanders for assassination.
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