Third stage of war focuses on assassinating Hamas leaders, inciting Gazans against terror group — Arab report

Israel has entered into a third stage in its war against Hamas in Gaza, focusing on airstrikes targeting top terror leaders based on intelligence information, according to an Arab media report.

An anonymous source cited by the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat news outlet says the IDF has its sights set on “not only well-known leaders, but also elements who participated in the October 7 attack, others involved in clashes, launching rockets and shells, and others, and even elements who pay the salaries of activists from Hamas, Qassam, Islamic Jihad, and other factions.”

The source adds that recent evacuation orders issued by the IDF indicate “a desire to incite the residents of Gaza against Hamas,” without giving details.

The report comes after the IDF targeted Muhammad Deif, the elusive commander of Hamas’s military wing, and Rafa’a Salameh, another top commander in the terror group, in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip over the weekend. Salameh has been confirmed dead, while Deif’s fate is still unclear.

US officials have reportedly told their Israeli counterparts that the Biden administration supports limited operations that prioritize “high-value” Hamas targets over large-scale offensives.