For nearly a decade, Israel has avoided deploying ground troops in Gaza. A fight in the densely populated coastal area poses dangers. However, one expert sees no way out.
On Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, tanks and soldiers are ready for a possible ground offensive in the Palestinian territory. Many young men expect that they may not come back alive. Soldiers can be seen praying on videos on social media. After the worst terrorist attack in its history, carried out in the border area by the Islamist Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, Israel is going on the offensive.
The army has mobilized around 300,000 reservists for Operation Iron Swords following the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists that left more than 1,200 people dead, the vast majority of them civilians.
Speaking to soldiers on the edge of the Palestinian territory, Defense Minister Joav Galant promised that the reality in Gaza would “turn 180 degrees.” Hamas will regret its actions. “We have lifted all restrictions, we will eliminate anyone who fights us and use all the means at our disposal.”
The final ground offensive came ten days after the fighting began
Israel’s last major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip began on July 17, 2014 – ten days after the start of massive air strikes. The armed conflict lasted almost two months in total. At that time, the goal was not the complete destruction of Hamas, but above all its underground tunnel system, which was also used for attacks on Israel.
Israel withdrew from the previously occupied Gaza Strip in 2005 and cleared more than 20 Israeli settlements in the narrow coastal strip. But the hoped-for calming of the situation did not materialize.
Instead, Hamas – the second largest Palestinian group after President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah – violently seized sole control in 2007. Since then, there have been repeated bloody armed conflicts between Israel and Hamas. Tens of thousands of rockets flew into Israeli cities. The group, founded in 1987 and supported by Iran, among others, wants to destroy the Jewish state and calls for the violent establishment of an Islamic Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan.
Does Israel have any choice but to send ground troops to Gaza?
Professor Jonathan Rynhold, head of the politics department at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, sees no alternative to a ground offensive against the Hamas leadership. “This is a very crucial moment for Israel’s deterrence,” he told the German Press Agency. “And more broadly for deterring the West against terrorism.”
It is important to show arch-enemy Iran and the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah “that Israel is prepared to risk the lives of its soldiers to end the unacceptable threat to its civilians.” Israel must “take very, very tough action against Hamas – otherwise there will be more such attacks on the country, and not just from Gaza, but also from elsewhere.”
Israel had repeatedly tried to achieve a kind of modus vivendi with Hamas, even though it is also classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA. The rivalry between Fatah and Hamas also played into the hands of opponents of an independent Palestinian state in Israel. Hardly anyone in the region believes in a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Over the years, Israel has tried to somehow control the conflict with Hamas using the “carrot and stick” method. These included, for example, money deliveries from Qatar and the opening of the borders to workers from the Gaza Strip in the hope that the economic hardship could be alleviated.
However, all attempts to come to terms with Hamas have now failed, said Rynhold. “Israel must go in there and inflict maximum damage on Hamas and its infrastructure and its ability to rule.”
What dangers lurk in the densely populated area?
But any ground operation in the densely populated area is considered extremely risky. According to Israeli estimates, Hamas had around 30,000 fighters before the terrorist attack on Israel. According to Israeli information, around 1,500 members of the so-called Nakba unit were killed in the attack in Israel, with hundreds more in captivity.
Israel has a much larger army, but Hamas fighters are more familiar with the coastal area – they have an advantage, especially in the underground tunnel system and winding alleys. Israel risks heavy losses in street fighting. This is a particularly sore point in the small country with around ten million inhabitants and a people’s army. Hamas could kidnap more soldiers during the fighting to use them as leverage in future prisoner exchange negotiations.
Danger to the hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip
The more than 150 people who were abducted into the Gaza Strip on Saturday are believed to be being held in various locations there. This includes women, children and old people. Five German citizens are also included.
The Israeli airstrikes are already endangering the hostages, but a ground offensive could make this worse. A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing had already threatened to execute the prisoners if the attacks continued.
Palestinian people are paying the price
It is once again the people of the Gaza Strip who are paying the price for the new round of violence. According to the UN, more than 260,000 people are on the run within the area, which is only 40 kilometers long and between six and twelve kilometers wide. Many sought protection in UN schools. Following the complete closure of the area imposed by Israel, there is a risk of a lack of electricity and water as well as a food shortage.
The number of deaths in Israeli air strikes continues to rise and has already exceeded 1,000. This includes women and minors.
What could come after Hamas?
If Israel actually succeeds in destroying Hamas, a power vacuum would arise in the Gaza Strip. “Other warlords could take control, perhaps even worse than Hamas, if that’s even possible,” Rynhold said.
Another possibility would be for the Palestinian Authority to take back control of the coastal strip. However, they could then be seen as traitors and collaborators with Israel by the population, the majority of whom, according to opinion polls, support Hamas. “The Palestinian Authority is so corrupt, authoritarian and weak at the same time that the chances of this happening are very slim,” Rynhold said. A new permanent Israeli occupation would also come at too high a price.
In his opinion, the deployment of an international peacekeeping force would have little chance of success. Without a robust mandate, they would have no chance of stabilizing the situation, he said. “Nobody wants to send their troops here.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
