Hamas's last bastion: What the fall of Jabalya could mean for a hostage deal - analysis

Jabalya, in the northern Gaza Strip, has become a symbol of heroism for Hamas, and the IDF believes that the fall of the refugee camp could open the door to advancing a hostage deal.

The IDF's 162nd Division has severely disrupted Hamas's attempts to rebuild its forces in northern Gaza over the past two months. 

Jabalya has become symbolic for Hamas, making the restoration of the Jabalya Battalion a priority for the terror group. It is estimated that approximately 3,000 terrorists regrouped in the camp.

The IDF's 162nd Division executed a tactical maneuver that resulted in encircling Jabalya from the south and creating a barrier between Hamas terrorists in Gaza City and those in Jabalya. 

The thousands of terrorists were left with two choices: fight to the death or surrender to IDF troops.

So far, some 1,200 terrorists have been eliminated, and an equal number have surrendered to the IDF. Several dozen are believed to have escaped southward through the crossings.

The IDF's current challenge is dealing with the most hardened core of Hamas terrorists — the "jihadists," who are expected to fight to the last bullet. 

The IDF is also learning lessons from the recent events in Jabalya and Beit Lahiya.

Any building identified as harboring terrorists or explosives is destroyed, either by air force strikes, tank fire, or combat engineers.

The IDF is detecting increasing action by the hardened core of terrorists that remain in Jabalya. This involves only a few hundred individuals, but the fighting against them is far more complex.

Hostage deal efforts

The IDF believes that the final fall of Jabalya will usher Hamas into a new era and ultimately enable the renewal of hostage deal efforts.

This is why Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and the military leadership have been urging the political echelon in recent days to take advantage of the emerging situation in northern Gaza to advance efforts for the release of the 101 hostages held by Hamas.