- Israeli Ground Assault
- Challenges and Implications
- Future of Gaza
The leaders of Israel have proclaimed that they shall eradicate Hamas from existence, and Gaza shall never revert to its former state.
“Every Hamas member is dead,” stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of a brutal assault on Israel, during which 1,300 people were murdered by militants affiliated with the organisation.
Operation Swords of Iron appears to have a considerably more audacious objective than any prior military endeavor in Gaza. Is that, however, a feasible military objective, and if so, how are its commanders expected to accomplish it?
A ground invasion of the Gaza Strip entails intense urban combat fought house-to-house and poses grave dangers to the civilian populace. Hundreds of lives have been lost thus far due to airstrikes, and over 400,000 individuals have been compelled to evacuate their residences.
Additionally, the military is tasked with rescuing a minimum of 150 detainees who are being held captive in unidentified areas throughout Gaza.
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The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Herzi Halevi, has designated the political leader of Hamas in Gaza and sworn to “dismantle” the organization. However, is there a definitive vision for the future of Gaza following the sixteen years of violent control by Hamas?
“I do not believe Israel can eliminate every Hamas member because that is an extremist Islamic notion,” says Army Radio military analyst Amir Bar Shalom. “But you can weaken it as much as you can so it has no operational capabilities.”
That could potentially be a more pragmatic goal. Throughout their four conflicts with Hamas, Israel has been unable to halt the organization’s rocket attacks.
According to spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, Hamas should no longer possess the military capability to “threaten or kill Israeli civilians” by the conclusion of this conflict.
Israeli ground assault is hazardous.
The military operation is susceptible to various factors that have the potential to adversely affect it.
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed branch of Hamas, will contain readiness to counter an Israeli ground assault. Explosive devices and ambushes will have been strategically positioned. Its infamous and extensive network of tunnels can be utilized to launch attacks against Israeli forces.
Anti-tank mines, snipers, and ambushes caused heavy casualties for Israeli infantry battalions in 2014. Hundreds of civilians perished in the conflict in a northern neighborhood of Gaza City.
Israel has demanded the evacuation of 1.1 million Palestinians from the northern half of the Gaza Strip for this reason, among others.
The conflict has the potential to last months, the Israeli government has been informed, and an unprecedented 360,000 reservists have reported for duty.
How long Israel can sustain its campaign in the face of international pressure to retreat is the central concern.
Gaza is rapidly transforming into a “hell hole,” according to a warning from the United Nations refugee agency. Water, electricity, and petroleum supplies have been severed, and now that half of the population is being warned to evacuate large areas, the death toll is escalating rapidly.
“The military and government believe they have the support of the international community, or at the very least, Western leaders. A prominent security and intelligence journalist in Israel, Yossi Melman, explains, “The philosophy is ‘Let’s mobilize; we have plenty of time’.”
However, he is confident that Israel’s allies will intervene eventually if they see images of famished people.
Restoring the captives
A large number of detainees are Israeli, but also dual nationalities and foreigners. Thus, governments like the US, France, and the UK want these people released safely.
President Emmanuel Macron has told French-Israeli families that their loved ones will return: “France will never abandon its children.”
The inmates’ fates may affect military planners, and Israel’s authorities face public pressure.
The circumstance is compared by Amir Bar Shalom to the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Where Palestinian gunmen abducted Israeli athletes and murdered eleven individuals.
An endeavor was initiated to identify and eliminate all participants in the assault, and he is convinced that the government will also seek to apprehend those responsible for the abductions.
The elite Israeli squad Sayeret Matkal may struggle to rescue the many Gazan captives. Hamas has previously issued a threat of execution to deter an Israeli ground assault by shooting hostages.
In 2011, Israel traded nearly 1,000 inmates with Hamas for five-year military detainee Gilad Shalit. However, Israel would be hesitant to release another significant number of prisoners in the future, as Yahya Sinwar, who was among those liberated in that exchange, presently serves as the political commander of Hamas in Gaza.
Neighbors attentively observing
Additionally, the response of Israel’s neighbors could impact the duration and result of an Israeli ground assault.
Egypt, which borders Gaza and is already pressuring aid through Rafah, may escalate its demands.
“The more Gazans suffer as a result of the Israeli military campaign, the more pressure Egypt will face to appear as if it has not abandoned the Palestinians,” says Ofir Winter of the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies.
He doesn’t think Cairo will let many Gazans into Egypt or fight Israel for them.
Additionally, Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is monitored closely.
Hezbollah has launched many cross-border attacks against Israel, but no new front has emerged.
Already, Iran, the principal sponsor of Hezbollah, has issued a threat to open “new fronts” against Israel. This week, US President Joe Biden warned any nation, organisation, or anyone considering exploiting this situation, “Don’t!”
In order to emphasize this point, an American aircraft carrier has been dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean theater.
What does Israel consider to be the final destination for Gaza? What would constitute a viable alternative should Hamas be substantially weakened?
Israeli forces, including hundreds of settlers and soldiers, left Gaza in 2005 with no intention of returning.
According to Ofir Winter, a change in leadership could potentially facilitate the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) gradual reestablishment in Gaza, which Hamas expelled in 2007. The PA, an organization that does not identify as militant, presently exercises authority over certain territories in the West Bank.
His argument is that Egypt would also appreciate a neighbor with greater pragmatism.
Eventually, the devastated infrastructure of Gaza will need to be restored to its pre-conflict state.
Prior to the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel, stringent limitations were imposed on the entry of “dual-use goods” into Gaza, which could function both militarily and civilianally. Israel will seek to implement additional stringent restrictions.
A wide buffer zone along the Gaza border has been proposed to protect Israeli communities. Yoram Cohen, former Shin Bet security chief, suggests replacing the present “shoot-on-sight” zone with 2-km (1.25 km).
Israel will continue to prevent similar attacks regardless of the outcome.
