IDF avoiding killing certain Hamas officials in Gaza over fear of civil order collapse

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The defense establishment is implementing an unprecedented policy in the Gaza Strip that includes granting immunity to mayors and senior officials in Hamas's governmental and municipal systems.Military sources confirmed to Walla that the decision not to target heads of local Hamas authorities stems from a deep and tangible concern that killing them could lead to the collapse of governing institutions in the Gaza Strip and trigger civilian chaos that Israel would ultimately have to deal with.

This includes an assessment that international aid organizations would be unable to fill the power vacuum left by killing the Hamas officials.As noted, the current government opposes the Palestinian Authority taking control of the Gaza Strip and demands that a third party administer the territory instead of Hamas.IDF, Shin Bet to continue targeting Hamas terroristsIt is important to note, however, that the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) are maintaining a high operational pace, carrying out two to three targeted killings each day against terrorists and commanders in Hamas's military wing.

The killings include terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre, as well as others preparing attacks against Israel or taking part in rebuilding Hamas's terrorist infrastructure.Behind the IDF and Shin Bet's new policy is a dramatic improvement in intelligence-gathering capabilities. Security officials note that over the past year, Military Intelligence Directorate units and the Shin Bet have made significant advances, including developing human intelligence sources and exploiting conditions on the ground to obtain accurate, real-time intelligence.

Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture

The article reports two to three Israeli targeted killings a day in Gaza and talks of a "Yellow Line". It never says these killings continue after the ceasefire declared in October 2025. A reader comes away believing this is ordinary wartime targeting, not daily killing carried on under a declared ceasefire.

How we know

On the recordNewsCord tracked Gaza coverage across major outlets and found Western mainstream output fell by about three quarters after the October 2025 ceasefire was declared, while Israeli attacks and the recorded Palestinian death toll continued.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)

These capabilities are combined with the capabilities of the IDF Southern Command and the Israel Air Force.The developments in intelligence stand in stark contrast to pre-October 7 capabilities, when Israeli intelligence suffered from a shortage of human sources in the Gaza Strip and relied on intelligence gathered from mobile phones. Today, the defense establishment is able to closely track senior terrorists and carry out targeted killings.Conditions on the ground indicate that Hamas has been severely weakened.

Terrorists now have fewer hiding places, fewer tunnels, and, above all, a significant shortage of senior commanders with operational experience who are familiar with Israel's security establishment and know how to operate under strict conditions.Meanwhile, Hamas's military wing is working to rebuild its intelligence on IDF activity along the Yellow Line and deeper inside Gaza by gathering information through various methods.Hamas maintains control over Gaza civil institutionsDespite the blows inflicted on Hamas by the IDF and Shin Bet, the terrorist organization continues to maintain control over the Gaza Strip's civilian administration.It controls the economy, internal security, energy, education, healthcare, and local authorities, with all the implications this entails.Even in areas where its grip appears weaker, Southern Command officials claim that the terrorist organization shapes public sentiment through arrests, interrogations, violence, and intimidation.

One of the methods Hamas uses to control the population is highly coercive tax collection.Israel fully understands that severely damaging these systems could have direct consequences for regional stability and provoke criticism in the international arena. Therefore, a decision has been made to keep senior civilian officials off the target list for the time being.Alongside efforts to preserve civilian infrastructure, the IDF continues to act decisively against senior figures in Hamas's military wing.Among other developments, the Southern Command and the Israel Air Force have developed advanced operational techniques over the past year that make it possible to carry out targeted killings even within densely populated tent compounds, while keeping collateral damage to an absolute minimum and preventing harm to innocent civilians.

Read the original article on jpost.com

What we found (3)

The Jerusalem Post reports the daily targeted killings by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza and calls the people killed terrorists in its own voice, when its only source is Israeli military and security officials speaking to Walla. It also states as plain fact the military's claim that strikes inside crowded tent compounds keep civilian harm to an absolute minimum. It does not mention that the killings continue after the ceasefire declared in October 2025.

Labels people on one side's word
Severe
“carrying out two to three targeted killings each day against terrorists and commanders in Hamas's military wing”
Why this matters
The Post calls the people the IOF and Shin Bet kill every day "terrorists" in its own voice, with no attribution.
The impression it gives
Every person killed in these daily strikes has been shown to be a terrorist.
The context
The only source in the article is Israeli military and security officials. No person killed is named and no independent basis is given. The Post's own earlier report of the same daily rate called them "commanders and operatives" and credited the figure to a security source.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“Military sources confirmed to Walla”
- The Jerusalem Post wrote earlier“eliminating an average of two to three field commanders and operatives per day”With just six days until Israel's elections, IDF steps up Gaza ops., prepares for Hamas attacks (opens in a new tab)
- The Jerusalem Post wrote earlier“a security source told Walla on Wednesday”With just six days until Israel's elections, IDF steps up Gaza ops., prepares for Hamas attacks (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“The killings include terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre, as well as others preparing attacks against Israel or taking part in rebuilding Hamas's terrorist infrastructure”
Why this matters
This sentence goes further. It tells the reader, as fact, what each person killed had done or was about to do: took part in 7 October, was preparing attacks, or was rebuilding infrastructure.
The impression it gives
The dead are proven perpetrators or imminent attackers, so killing them needs no scrutiny.
The context
Nothing in the article backs these claims beyond the military sources. No case is described and nobody killed is named. "Preparing attacks" is a claim about intentions that only the party doing the killing makes.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“Military sources confirmed to Walla”
Show it in the article
“closely track senior terrorists”
Why this matters
The Post again labels the people it says are tracked and killed "senior terrorists" in its own voice.
The impression it gives
The targets are confirmed senior terrorists.
The context
The label comes from the same unnamed security officials the article credits in the sentence before. The Post gives no independent basis.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“Security officials note that over the past year”
Show it in the article
“Terrorists now have fewer hiding places”
Why this matters
The Post uses "Terrorists" as a blanket word in its own voice for people in Gaza the military hunts, as the subject of a factual sentence.
The impression it gives
There is a settled class of terrorists in Gaza whose shrinking hiding places are an objective fact.
The context
Both the label and the assessment come from Israeli military sources. The article attributes only the next claim about Hamas to "Southern Command officials".
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“Military sources confirmed to Walla”
Show it in the article
Written straight
Israeli forces are killing two to three people a day in Gaza, whom military sources describe as Hamas commanders and operatives, including people they say took part in the 7 October attack; the claims could not be independently verified.
States one side's claim as fact
Serious
“while keeping collateral damage to an absolute minimum and preventing harm to innocent civilians”
Why this matters
The Post states in its own voice that strikes inside densely populated tent compounds keep "collateral damage to an absolute minimum" and prevent harm to civilians. It writes harm to people in the camps as "collateral damage".
The impression it gives
Israeli strikes on tent camps do not harm civilians.
The context
This is the military's claim about its own conduct. The article gives no casualty figures, no names and no source outside the military for it. The Post's earlier reporting on the same campaign also rests only on a security source.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“Security officials note that over the past year”
- The Jerusalem Post wrote earlier“according to the source”With just six days until Israel's elections, IDF steps up Gaza ops., prepares for Hamas attacks (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Written straight
Military officials claim new techniques let them carry out targeted killings inside densely populated tent compounds while minimising harm to civilians; the article gives no independent figures on people killed or wounded in these strikes.
Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
What is missing
The article reports two to three Israeli targeted killings a day in Gaza and talks of a "Yellow Line". It never says these killings continue after the ceasefire declared in October 2025. A reader comes away believing this is ordinary wartime targeting, not daily killing carried on under a declared ceasefire.
How we know
- On the recordNewsCord tracked Gaza coverage across major outlets and found Western mainstream output fell by about three quarters after the October 2025 ceasefire was declared, while Israeli attacks and the recorded Palestinian death toll continued.newscord.org (opens in a new tab)
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IDF avoiding killing certain Hamas officials in Gaza over fear of civil order collapse

Labels people on one side's word

States one side's claim as fact

Leaves out what changes the picture

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