Reuters said that while Israeli authorities say they intend to completely destroy Hamas, they can only significantly weaken the group, but not end it.
For several days now, Israel has made it clear that its large forces are ready to enter Gaza to destroy Hamas once and for all. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the ground offensive was about to begin. He told troops stationed at the border of the Gaza Strip that they would soon “see Gaza from the inside.” The order will come, added Galant. But when? And what happens next?
Israel’s plans
Reuters writes, citing sources familiar with the course of negotiations between the United States and the leaders of the Middle East, that Israel’s strategy for the near future is the destruction of the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip (even at the cost of heavy civilian casualties) , pushing local residents to the Egyptian border and destroying Hamas’ underground tunnel network.
Reuters said that while Israeli authorities say they intend to completely destroy Hamas, they can only seriously weaken the group, but not end it. A US agency source says Washington is “less optimistic” about it. The more likely scenario, he said, is that Israel will kill or capture as many Hamas members as possible, blow up the tunnels and missile facilities, and then—as Israeli casualties mount—start looking for a way out. to declare victory and withdraw from the Gaza Strip. .
At the same time, Reuters writes, Israeli officials told the agency that they do not have a clear idea of what will become of the Gaza Strip after the end of the military operation. An agency source in Washington noted that some of US President Joe Biden’s aides are concerned that Israel does not have an exit strategy. During trips to the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the need to focus on a post-war plan, the source said.
According to Reuters, officials from Arab countries are also concerned about Israel’s lack of a clear plan. “Israel has no final solution for Gaza. Its strategy is to drop thousands of bombs, destroy everything and enter, but then what? They have no “exit strategy,” said one of the security sources of the agency.
US position
US President Joe Biden’s quick visit to Israel this week shows how concerned the White House is about the worsening situation. Washington is concerned about two serious issues: the worsening humanitarian crisis and the risk that the conflict could spread to other countries in the Middle East.
The US President has already made it clear that he opposes the reoccupation of Gaza by Israel, which withdrew from there in 2005. This, according to Biden, would be a “big mistake.”
Officially, Biden went to Israel to show strategic support for the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East and to learn about Israel’s plans for Gaza.
Unofficially, he probably called for some restraint from the radical government of Benjamin Netanyahu. In any case, the United States wants to know how and when the Israeli army will leave Gaza, if, of course, it will enter there.
Consequences of ground operations
In recent days, Iran has issued dire warnings that Israel’s aggression in Gaza will not go unanswered. Most likely, this means opening a second front against Israel, for example, in the north, from Lebanon, where Hezbollah, funded by Tehran, has grown stronger.
In 2006, during a difficult and generally inconclusive war between Hezbollah militants and Israel, it emerged that Israeli tanks were suffering losses from camouflaged mines and falling into well-planned traps.
Since then, Hezbollah, with the help of Iran, has rearmed and is believed to have an arsenal of around 150,000 missiles, many of which have long-range and precision guidance systems. That is, there is a real threat that in the event of an Israeli invasion of Gaza, Hezbollah could open a new front on the northern border, forcing it to fight on two fronts at once.
Human problems
As sources told Reuters, Washington is proposing to involve the Palestinian Authority, which currently controls the West Bank, in the future management of the Gaza Strip. He handed over power in the Gaza Strip to Hamas terrorists in 2007. At the same time, there is great doubt that the Palestinian Authority will be able to govern this territory.
In addition, Israel’s Arab neighbors quickly responded to calls for the creation of humanitarian corridors: they fear, writes Reuters, that the invasion will cause a mass exodus of refugees, who will then live forever in the countries that received them. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said “millions of Egyptians” would begin protesting against accepting refugees – and that moving Gazans to the neighboring Sinai Peninsula would make it a base for future migration. -attack on Israel.
As the number of Palestinian civilian casualties mounts as a result of the Israeli army’s relentless air strikes, the sympathy for Israel felt by the world after the barbaric and bloody attacks by Hamas on October 7 is gradually replaced by a growing request to stop the airstrike and protect. ordinary Gazans.
If and when Israeli forces enter Gaza, the death toll will only increase.
Israeli soldiers will also die – in ambushes, from sniper fire and booby traps, especially since most of the fighting can take place underground, in many kilometers of tunnels. But, most likely, most of the losses will again be suffered by the civilian population.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.