Israel is preparing for at least a few more days of fighting in the south and it is estimated that the conditions for a ceasefire are not yet ripe - mainly because the Islamic Jihad has not been able to gain achievements and does not show at this stage a willingness to end the campaign.
A political official who spoke to "Israel Today" referred to the Egyptian mediation attempts and said: "Cairo has been playing a central and highly valued role for a long time, in an attempt to create calm and stability even before the start of the operation. However, we are preparing for a several-day operation."
In the meantime, a Hamas spokesman said this evening that the missile attack on Tel Aviv is a message from the organization's military arm to the enemy that Hamas will respond to harming civilians.
At the same time, Prime Minister Yair Lapid will convene the political-security cabinet at 22:30 for a discussion in Kirya in Tel Aviv.
Will they watch the fighting?
Hamas operatives, photo: Reuters
A political official who spoke to "Israel Today" referred to the Egyptian attempts to create a ceasefire between the parties, saying: "Cairo has been playing a central and highly valued role for a long time, in an attempt to bring calm and stability even before the start of the operation. However, we are preparing for a several-day operation."
Israel is currently managing a strategy of delicate balances and taking calculated risks: in the face of the desire to continue hitting the Islamic Jihad as long as the rocket launches continue, at the political level they understand that the longer the operation lasts, the greater the pressure on Hamas to join the conflict, and the greater the risk of harming civilians - whether in the Gaza Strip or in the territory of Israel - which will make it difficult to end the operation this week.
Prime Minister, Yair Lapid.
Will assemble the cabinet, photo: Prime Minister's Office
The IDF makes a considerable effort to hit only the targets of the Jihad and to avoid harming Hamas assets and operatives. In addition, a great effort is made to reduce as much as possible the harm to civilians. This policy significantly reduces the target bank of the IDF and may influence Israel's considerations Regarding the duration of the operation.
The working assumption in Israel is that Hamas does not want to be dragged into the campaign, but on the other hand, it cannot afford to be seen as someone who is depositing the "resistance" for a long time.
Another factor with explosive potential is Jerusalem and the T'Bav events that take place tomorrow, as part of which tens of thousands of worshipers are expected to reach the Western Wall and thousands of Jews are also planned to make an pilgrimage to the Temple Mount.
The chairman of Otzma Yehudit, MK Itamar Ben Gabir, is also expected to go up to the mountain tomorrow morning.
Ben Gabir's ascension was coordinated in advance with the Knesset officer and the Israel Police about a week ago, and as of the time of writing these lines there is no intention to prevent him from reaching the mountain.
The political official who spoke with "Israel Hayom" also referred to the international climate, saying that "currently the operation in Gaza does not occupy a high place on the world agenda. The main statement came from the White House, which made it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself."
Despite this, past experience shows that the international atmosphere can change overnight, as a result of unplanned harm to civilians.
On the night between Friday and Saturday, US Defense Secretary Austin spoke with Defense Minister Gantz.
Austin emphasized that Israel has the right to defend itself and noted the "permanent commitment of the United States to the security of Israel." However, he urged Gantz to take steps to calm the situation, expressed his concern about the reports of civilians killed in Gaza and called for a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Security situation assessment led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, together with Minister of Internal Security Amr Bar-Lev, photo: Kobi Alkotzer / L.A.M.
Meanwhile, earlier today a security situation assessment was held in Kirya in Tel Aviv led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, together with Minister of Internal Security Omar Bar-Lev.
As part of the discussion, an overview was given of the situation in the interior scene, and of the preparation of the police forces in the field.
In addition, we discussed the torture required in light of the situation in the south, as well as the preparation for the T'Bav events, which began this evening.
Participated in the preparation of the news: Dana Ben Shimon and Lilac Shuvel
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
