The IDF located the shaft to the tunnel where the bodies of the six hostages were found, surrounded by childrens toys in a backyard in Gaza, September 4, 2024. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)
On Sunday, the IDF issued evacuation orders for the Deir al-Balah central Gaza area, a reliable sign that the IDF intends to attack an area more aggressively, often with a full-scale invasion.
The IDF had invaded Deir el-Balah in central Gaza at least twice before this Sunday and had attacked it from the air at least 11 times. So why did hostages’ support groups get so upset by the military’s latest announcement that it is invading this area?
On Sunday, the IDF issued evacuation orders for the citizens of Deir el-Balah, a reliable sign that the IDF intends to attack an area more aggressively, often with a full-scale invasion.
The message included the phrase that the IDF was going to “operate in areas where it has not operated in the past.”
Soon after that, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum slammed the announcement, saying that the IDF and the government were going to endanger hostages being held by Hamas.
They asked rhetorically whether the authorities could vow to them that these new operations would not lead to the deaths of hostages, as occurred in August 2024 when the IDF invaded new areas of Rafah where it believed there were no hostages, and Hamas terrorists responded by killing six hostages they were guarding.
Families of hostages, former hostages, and supporters march to the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of all hostages, July 19, 2025. (credit: ERIK MARMOR/FLASH90)
There have also been at least a few other instances where hostages were accidentally bombed or shot by the IDF, as it did not realize they were nearby or that they were not Hamas terrorists.
Moreover, the forum said that invading these new areas should not be seen as a “card” to play in negotiations over releasing hostages and a ceasefire, but rather as a clear and present danger to the hostages’ lives.
Also, during recent hostage releases during the January to March period, there was public footage showing hostages being released from these general areas in central Gaza.
The footage showed that some areas appeared to be much less attacked and destroyed than many other areas in Gaza.
Despite all this, the IDF’s statements over the 21-month war have indicated that it undertook air strikes in Deir el-Balah as early as November 6, 2023.
That was followed by IDF air strikes on the area in 2024 on: January 1, March 25, July 6, July 20, August 4, September 4, October 7, and November 30, as well as on April 13 and May 8 in 2025.
Moreover, the IDF has invaded Deir el-Balah with the 98th Division both from June 5-10, 2024 as well as sometime during the August 16-30, 2024, period.
So what is so special this time that it set off alarm sirens about endangering the hostages?
There are at least two possibilities.
Prior invasions did not delve deep into Deir al-Balah
One is that prior invasions of Deir el-Balah were on the eastern side or in the peripheral areas but did not delve deep into areas beyond its eastern side.
In this case, the Hostages Families Forum’s concerns could be valid even if the IDF has invaded nearby and directed air strikes in the area.
IDF, gov’t use reinvasion as psychological warfare
Another possibility is that the IDF and the government are using this operation as a psychological warfare game.
If they know that the remaining top Hamas commanders – essentially second-and third-string commanders since all top commanders, including Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Mohammed Sinwar, Marwan Issa, and others, have been killed over 21 months – then the threat of invasion and further encroachment could finally pressure Hamas into agreeing to another hostage deal.
Within that same strategy, it is possible that the IDF has invaded this area before, but advertising publicly now that it is willing to “invade areas where it has not yet operated” could leave Hamas uncertain enough of the future that it signs a deal.
At press time, the IDF had not clarified to The Jerusalem Post what was different about its expected invasion area compared to prior actions in Deir al-Balah.
Either way, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum was clearly responding to the IDF’s use of words and messaging, along with all of the factors that have made portions of central Gaza viewed as highly sensitive.
Whether the pressure works on Hamas will play out in the coming days.