“Air, sea and land.” Last week, Israel promised an offensive aimed at “destroying” and “eradicating” Hamas, and called on residents of the northern Gaza Strip to move south. This appears to be a warning that an invasion is imminent. Meanwhile, about 300 thousand soldiers The border was surrounded in preparation for attacking the 42-kilometre-long territory controlled by the Islamic group. But, so far, there is no indication when – even if The second phase of the Israeli military operation “Iron Swords” will take place.
In fact, the idea of a ground attack may not materialize, the Israeli armed forces say. Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesman, suggested that “everyone is talking about it, but it could be something different,” but stressed that the country must “always be prepared” for that scenario. At the moment, one thing seems certain: Tel Aviv wants to eliminate the Hamas leadership and its entire military structure, in order to ensure security for its citizens.
If it is not a military invasion, what could it be? Speaking to CNBCThe former US ambassador to Israel between 2001 and 2005, Daniel Kurtzer, points out the possibility of “incursions with small groups of soldiers” with specific tasks. However, the former diplomat, now a professor of Middle East politics at Princeton University, rejected the idea that the conflict is, or could be, in the near future a state of “stalemate”: “Each side is trying to gain certain advantages.”
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