Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has said that the operation in Gaza, which currently involves heavy military fighting, will “shift” as the war enters a new stage. West Jerusalem plans to enter into a “less intensive” phase while using more precision when targeting Hamas.

The chief spokesman for the IDF, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, announced the change on Monday, telling the New York Times that smaller groups of soldiers will carry out more one-off raids, as opposed to the wide-scale maneuvers seen in the earlier stages of the war in the Palestinian enclave. “The war shifted a stage,” Hagari told the NYT, adding, “The transition will be with no ceremony. It’s not about dramatic announcements.”

Except, this is an announcement, and Hamas and the people of Gaza are likely to hear it. During a regular press conference later on Monday, Hagari elaborated on Isreal’s plans. According to a report by RT, he said that although there were still “terror operatives and weapons” in northern Gaza, they did not “function within an organized military framework and now we operate there in [a different] way, and with a different mix of forces.”

Israel’s defense chief, Yoav Gallant, made a similar announcement to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday. He said that the IDF would shift from the “intense maneuvering phase of the war” to “different types of special operations.” However, he later clarified that the change would happen soon, and had not already taken place. “We need to take into consideration the huge number of civilians,” Gallant told the Journal, adding that that change would “take some time” to implement.

The latest conflict in Gaza erupted following Hamas’ deadly October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw at least 240 captured by Palestinian militants. The IDF responded with months of heavy airstrikes and a major ground incursion, leaving much of the enclave in ruins and killing more than 23,000 people, according to local health officials. An estimated 2 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes due to the fighting. -RT

The news of assassinations and other escalations still threaten to expand this war further.