With President Donald Trump now in the White House, analysts say Israel is operating with fewer constraints than before, impacting its military approach and the war’s potential outcome.

“It is all about Trump,” a former senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital, “Netanyahu can continue this war for another year. If Trump tells him in two weeks, enough, now you have to go for a deal, he would.” The same source also suggested that a new strategy is now being implemented: Dividing Gaza into controlled corridors, with food and civilian movement under Israeli military oversight, aiming to pressure Hamas.

John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute, told Fox News Digital, “The Trump administration, even before it was elected, was very clear: release all the hostages, including American citizens, or I will provide Israel everything it needs to legally, lawfully, and within all international laws prosecute its war against Hamas, with fewer constraints than the Biden administration put on it.”

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

In a video statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his unwavering support of Israel, “Our alliance with the United States has never been stronger,” he said.

On the battlefield, Israel has expanded its targets beyond Hamas’ military infrastructure to its governmental network.

“The recent strikes, as Israel states, include quite a lot of the governmental side of a terror organization,” Assaf Orion, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute and INSS, told Fox News Digital. However, he said, questions remain about what will follow if Hamas’ governance structure is dismantled.

The hostage situation remains a central issue. While the Israeli government argues that military action is necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing captives, concerns about hostage safety have sparked protests within Israel. Conricus told Fox News Digital, “The risk to hostages has increased. Hamas may execute some in retaliation for Israel’s renewed offensive, but the way I see it, Israel had no choice but to resume military operations after two weeks in which Hamas didn’t release any hostages. Honestly, I’m surprised we’ve waited this long to act.”

Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir conducted a field tour in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip. He spoke with soldiers and was presented with defensive preparations and operational plans. (IDF)

Orion acknowledged the complexity of balancing military objectives with hostage negotiations: “There is a clear tension between releasing the hostages, which involves a deal, and eradicating Hamas, which involves fighting. If the hostages are killed, that’s irreversible. An enduring defeat to Hamas, we all understand, is a generational task,” he told Fox News Digital.

Whether Hamas can be fully defeated remains an open question. Spencer believes it to be possible, saying, “Hamas is weaker than ever, with its ability to hold territory and conduct organized military operations severely diminished. However, Israel must commit to holding the ground it clears, or Hamas could regroup and return.”

The outcome of Israel’s renewed campaign will depend not just on military strategy but also on Trump’s political approach. As the former Israeli official noted, if Trump decides to push for negotiations, Netanyahu is likely to follow suit. Until then, Israel appears set to continue its most extensive military operation yet.