Sixteen days have passed since the Political Security Cabinet announced the ultimate goal of the war in Gaza, on Saturday night, when the horrific massacre took place in the communities near the Gaza Strip: "the destruction of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in a way that will negate their ability and desire to threaten and harm Israel for many years." As the days go by and the airstrikes continue, it seems that more and more new variables are shaping the strategy of the political elements conducting the campaign – international pressure, led by the United States, the question of the day after in the Gaza Strip, the fate of the hostages held captive by Hamas, and the chances of developing another arena vis-à-vis Lebanon.
Ground entrance
Despite the fact that IDF forces have not yet entered ground warfare in Gaza, this is a tactful decision that is expected to happen. Contrary to claims that Israel prefers to continue the campaign only from the air, and despite reports in the foreign press that the United States is advising Israel not to enter yet, political sources tell Israel Hayom that this decision will be made and that it is in the hands of the political and military echelons only and not of any foreign element. Despite questions about timing, decision makers naturally prefer to leave very little information available to the enemy. "The fog of battle is important. The determination at the political and military levels to act on the ground has not changed and has even strengthened as time passes," the diplomatic source told Israel Hayom.
Documentation of IDF forces' deployment for the ground entrance // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
The goal was and remains the entry into a ground operation in which as many Hamas terrorists as possible will be killed wherever they are hiding, but until the signal is given, Israel will continue to crush Hamas terrorists from the air. The American advisers sent to Israel tell decision makers in closed discussions to learn from "the mistakes of the United States in previous wars" and recommend acting under optimal conditions for IDF soldiers so that they can win the battle. When the basic understanding of all the leaders who landed in Israel and their people is conveyed by Netanyahu himself: there is no escape from a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.
There is no escape from a ground incursion, soldiers on the Gaza border, photo: Omar Shabtai
The cabinet is expected to convene again this evening, and in the meantime, the prime minister, defense minister and chief of staff reject reports of tension between them and claim coordinated work. Israel Hayom has learned that since the outbreak of the war, Netanyahu has met not only with Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brick, but also with former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, and also spoke with National Security Council heads Yaakov Nagel and Meir Ben-Shabbat, as well as with Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror. Sources familiar with the work being made say that the decision to embark on an unprecedented war against Hamas is a significant decision that could have implications for the lives of our soldiers, and therefore the prime minister often consults in the days before the ground incursion.
The pressures
The airlift of world leaders, which continues to bring important leaders to Israel all the time, also leads to proposals from those leaders who focus on their questions about protecting the Palestinian population in Gaza and humanitarian aid, as well as the issue of the day after the elimination of Hamas. It was clear to anyone who had come so far that Israel's goal of destroying the murderous terrorist organization was not up for discussion, but that in return for the overwhelming support received, Israel also needed flexibility in humanitarian matters with regard to the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Air Force bombs Gaza, photo: Arab networks
That is why Netanyahu himself continues to call alongside the IDF on residents to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip, where support will be provided. In this way, it can also be assumed that Israel's offensive operations will be only on the northern side of the Gaza Strip. Energy Minister and Political Security Cabinet member Yisrael Katz said in an interview with the German newspaper Bilt yesterday: "We prefer that Sisi, the Egyptian president, open the Rafah border crossing and let them stay in Sinai as long as possible. He disagrees. We have a peace agreement. That is why we accept his decision. In the southern Gaza Valley there is an area with an area where there are no bombings, and those who stay there remain unharmed. That's where humanitarian aid goes."
As for the "warnings" from America, Katz said: "They gave advice. The American president spoke about the American lesson, and there are many differences between the United States and Israel. First their enemies were in Iraq, then Afghanistan, thousands of miles away. Our enemies are outside our windows, they have already broken into our homes. That's why we respect the president of the United States, who doesn't give us orders, Israel makes its own decisions, we get advice and good support."
The Gaza Strip after IDF bombings, photo: AFP
Hostages
Hamas' policy of "dripping" the abductees living back to Israel is intended to postpone as much as possible the intensification of operations in the Gaza Strip, but Israel reiterates that the return of the abductees will not constitute a limitation to ground operations. Nonetheless, the assessment among decision makers is that the Qataris will accompany the continuation of the deals, which have so far proven that they are capable of bringing results against Hamas, despite the fact that Qatar itself is a well-known sponsor of terrorism.
Yocheved Lifshitz, released from Hamas captivity, speaks for the first time // Photo: Moshe Ben-Simhon
The War Cabinet decided not to lend a hand to the policy of "dripping" prisoners and to push for a significant deal that would lead to the release of dozens of civilians held captive by the murderous terrorist organization. The decision is in the hands of Hamas and it is believed that things will soon become clear. Katz also said in an interview with the German newspaper that "at the moment we assume that Hamas wants to keep the abductees for negotiation purposes. But Hamas cannot prevent the ground incursion."
Eyes to the North
For the past 16 days, Israel has been containing the front on the northern border and responding with a specific response to the sources of rocket fire in Lebanon, while the prime minister and military leaders continue to threaten outwardly that if Hezbollah joins the campaign, its fate and Lebanon's fate will be as bitter as the results of the Second Lebanon War. In practice, Israel does not know how to predict Hezbollah's moves, and the fear is of an intelligence failure similar to the one that opened the events of Black Saturday. Therefore, most of the soldiers recruited are on Israel's northern border in order to be prepared on the spot for any scenario that develops in parallel with the ground incursion into Gaza.
Israeli attack on the Lebanese border, photo: AFP
Two approaches are being discussed in the cabinet: one as a result of a ground incursion and a fatal blow to Hamas – Hezbollah will be deterred and will not join the campaign. Second, he will not be able to stand idly by, so he will seize the opportunity and join the attacks on Israel from the north. Through the French president, who visited Israel yesterday, Israel sent a clear message to Lebanon to avoid escalation at this time. Still, quite a few soldiers stationed on the northern border and residents of the area are asking themselves whether the current war can end without removing and destroying the threat posed by the north.
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