Israeli forces are battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago. Israel has portrayed the southern Gaza city of Rafah as Hamas’ last stronghold, saying it must invade in order to succeed in its goals of dismantling the group and returning scores of hostages. A limited operation there has expanded in recent days, forcing some 300,000 people to flee. But the rest of the war-ravaged territory seems to provide ample opportunities for Hamas to regroup. Israel has yet to offer a detailed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, saying only that it will maintain open-ended security control.
