Israel expects long Gaza ground war to crush Hamas, raising fears of grueling, open-ended conflict
By: WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and JOSEF FEDERMAN (AP News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Israel's military on Friday said its forces, backed by fighter jets and drones, carried out another ground raid into the Gaza Strip. The action was targeted at suspected Hamas positions on the outskirts of Gaza City, the military said. The military said that action was carried out in order to "prepare the battlefield" ahead of a widely expected ground invasion. (OCT 27)
Videos 3 Photos 13 By WAFAA SHURAFA, BASSEM MROUE and JOSEF FEDERMAN Share Sha
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel expects to launch a long and difficult ground offensive into Gaza soon to destroy Hamas, the defense minister said Friday, describing a campaign that will require dismantling a vast network of tunnels used by the territory's militant rulers.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's comments pointed to a potentially grueling and open-ended new phase of the war, three weeks after Hamas' bloody incursion into southern Israel sparked relentless bombardment in Gaza. Israeli troops carried out a second ground raid into Gaza in as many days, striking the outskirts of Gaza City.
Gallant told a small group of foreign reporters that the invasion "will take a long time" and be followed by a lengthy phase of lower-intensity fighting as Israel destroys "pockets of resistance."
Israel has said it aims to crush Hamas' rule in Gaza and its ability to threaten Israel. But how Hamas' defeat will be measured and an invasion's endgame remain unclear. Israel says it does not intend to rule the tiny territory of 2.3 million Palestinians but not who it expects to govern - even as Gallant suggested a long-term insurgency could ensue.
READ MORE Live updates | Israel predicts a difficult ground offensive in Gaza to dismantle Hamas tunnelsIsrael-Hamas war upends years of conventional wisdom. Leaders give few details on what comes nextGaza looks like a wasteland from space in these before-and-after photos
In a sign of rising tensions in the region, U.S. warplanes struck targets in eastern Syria that the Pentagon said were linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard after a string of attacks on American forces, and two mysterious objects hit towns in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has soared past 7,300, according to officials there. A blockade on Gaza has meant dwindling supplies of food, fuel, water and medicine, and the U.N. warned that its aid operation helping hundreds of thousands of people was "crumbling" amid near-depleted fuel.
Gaza's Health Ministry on Thursday released a detailed list of names and identification numbers of those killed, including more than 3,000 minors and more than 1,500 women.
More than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, according to the Israeli government, and at least 229 hostages were taken into Gaza. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel, including one that hit a residential building in Tel Aviv on Friday, wounding four people.
The overall number of deaths far exceeds the combined toll of all four previous Israel-Hamas wars, estimated at around 4,000. A ground invasion is expected to cause even higher casualties on both sides as Israeli forces and Hamas battle each other in dense residential areas.
Gazan hospitals have been scrounging for fuel to run emergency generators that power incubators and other life-saving equipment after Israel cut off all fuel deliveries at the start of the war, forcing its only power plant to shut down.
Gallant said Israel believes that Hamas would confiscate any fuel that enters. He said Hamas uses generators to pump air into its hundreds of kilometers (miles) of tunnels, which originate in civilian areas. He showed reporters aerial footage of what he said was a tunnel shaft built right next to a hospital.
"For air, they need oil. For oil, they need us," he said.
Late Friday, the army released photos showing what it claimed were Hamas installations in and around Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa. Israel has made such claims before, but they declined to say how they obtained the photos.
Little is known about Hamas' tunnels and other infrastructure, and the military's and Gallant's claims couldn't be verified.
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq called the Israeli reports on al-Shifa "lies" to pave the way for strikes on the hospital.
Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been overwhelmed by thousands of patients and wounded. Also, tens of thousands of displaced residents have crowded in and around its grounds for shelter, the U.N. says.
About 1.4 million people in Gaza have fled their homes, with nearly half of them crowding into U.N. shelters. Hundreds of thousands remain in northern Gaza, despite Israel ordering them to evacuate to the south and saying that those who remain might be considered "accomplices" of Hamas.
Over the past week, Israel has allowed more than 80 trucks with aid enter from Egypt through the Rafah crossing - including 10 trucks of food, medicine and other supplies Friday morning. The convoys meet only a tiny fraction of Gaza's needs amid a worsening humanitarian collapse.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, which provides basic services to hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza, said it has been forced to ration fuel among lifesaving machines in hospitals, bakeries, and desalination plants, and only has enough for a few more days. U.N. workers say they will ensure no fuel deliveries go to Hamas.
"The siege means that food, water and fuel - basic commodities — are being used to collectively punish more than 2 million people, among them, a majority of children and women," Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, told reporters. He said U.N. workers in Gaza report "the last remaining public services are collapsing, our aid operation is crumbling and for the first time ever, they report that people are now hungry."
Earlier Friday, the military said ground forces backed by fighter jets and drones raided inside Gaza, striking dozens of militant targets over the past 24 hours. It said aircraft and artillery bombed targets in Shijaiyah, a neighborhood on Gaza City's outskirts that was the scene of an urban battle in the 2014 Gaza war.
The military said the soldiers exited the territory without casualties. It reported an earlier raid into northern Gaza on Thursday.
The damage to Gaza from nearly three weeks of bombardment showed in satellite photos of several locations taken before the war and again in recent days. Entire rows of residential buildings simply disappear in the photos, reduced to smears of dust and rubble.
The Israeli military says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians in an attempt to protect its fighters.
Israel captured Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war and occupied the territory until a unilateral withdrawal in 2005. It has maintained a tight blockade over the area since Hamas rose to power in 2006 parliamentary elections and subsequently seized full control the following year from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
The conflict has threatened to ignite a wider war across the region.
The United States has sent two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region in part to deter Iran and its allies from entering the war. Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah has repeatedly traded fire with Israel along the border.
Egypt's military said a drone crashed into a building in the Red Sea town of Taba, on the border with Israel, slightly wounding six people. Also, a "strange object" landed near a power station in the nearby town of Nuweiba, state-run Al-Qahera news said. Footage showed debris and smoke rising from the side of a nearby mountain.
Last week, a U.S. Navy destroyer in the northern Red Sea shot down three cruise missiles and several drones launched toward Israel by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in northern Yemen.
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Federman reported from Tel Aviv and Mroue from Beirut. Najib Jobain in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Jack Jeffery in Cairo, Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem, and Brian Melley in London, contributed to this report.
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The major question is, ''what is the end game for Israel''....Who is going to govern Gaza after the war or is this going to be a never-ending insurgency that will draw other countries into this conflict? As the casualties mount on both sides, both military and civilian how long will Israel or Hamas keep fighting,
Without a clear end game the disastrous outcomes are unlimited.
Israel should continue as long as Hamas and other terrorists are trying to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
Who is going to govern Gaza after the war? Israel learned their lesson and pulled out in 2005, and Egypt flat turned it down. Without a governing body we'll be looking at another war in a few years.
Israel should govern Gaza to be able to prevent terrorists like Hamas from proliferating.
Israel has already stated they do not want to govern Gaza.
IMO, you cannot eradicate a terrorist group, you cut off one tentacle and they grow another. Hamas, Hezbollah and many others are well-organized, large, and well funded which creates a huge problem for Israel and the rest of the ME.
then why ask?
Since this is a discussion group to get a discussion going to see what ideas are out there, both pro and con.
It doesn't seem that you are interested in a discussion on the subject so thanks for stopping by.
you asked, I answered and then you want to argue.
So what's your solution?
Israel isn't going to pull back this time until Hamas is destroyed, they learned their lesson well. They will not be deterred from their mission by misguided and ignorant world opinion. They will probably end up by occupying Gaza for a time until some kind of coalition government is formed.
Other terrorist entities should be forewarned that getting involved in this necessary action to cleanse Gaza of this terrorist vermin will not end well for them. Any hostage and civilian deaths from this point on is the fault of Hamas.
Usually most countries would like to control more land. At one point Israel occupied Gaza, by they decided they no longer wanted to, and totally withdrew.
Egypt had the opportunity to occupy Gaza— and turned it down because they knew it would be trouble due to the large number of fanatical terrorists who live there.
LOL, not at all.
Exactly my view which I posted in comment 1.1.1 this is going to be a major problem for Israel and most of the ME.
I agree but the really hard fighting has yet to begin and this isn't something that is over in a week or two, if Israel occupies Gaza for any length of time you will have the same situation that existed until 2005 when Israel pulled out. No country wants to be involved in governing Gaza.
They are not listening since the other terrorist groups, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are attacking the US and Israel and I don't believe that Hamas gives a shit if the are blamed for hostage and civilian deaths.
No sane Israeli (nor Egyptian for that matter) wants to re-occupy Gaza or rule over it.
And Iran is already sucking America into this mess.
I would be interested in knowing The Hamas endgame plan. Did they think the raid would kill and kidnap as many as they did? Did they really believe Israel would just retaliate and then stop as they get international pressure? Is this part of a bigger plan as Israeli ground troops attack?
The situation sucks and there is no real winner. Maybe Israel has a plan for after the war is over, maybe they don't. One thing seems clear, they are done having Hamas make it's people live in constant fear.
I think that there is a bigger plan when Israel attacks. Hamas leader showed up in Russia to meet Putin and I read an article that Hamas was in Turkey when the attack on Israel took place.
100% agreement.
Israel has stated its endgame, which is to rid Gaza of Hamas, which probably means giving it back to the PA to govern, and that would please Abbas. Iran is already a player in this and Lebanon by default of who they house, but I don't see any other countries eager to enter the fray.
The casualties will be high on both sides. The moment IDF enters the city, soldiers will be killed along with Gazens, and my guess is that it will continue until Israel feels that they are rid of Hamas.
At least that is my POV.
Good point, PA is more moderate than Hamas. Iran/Lebanon are players and it looks like Russia and Turkey may have interests as well.
Sadly with urban warfare, the casualties will be high, and I don't see Israel backing off. This is going to be long, and bloody with no end in sight.
I have to totally agree with that. I expect it to go on for months, including time to rid Gaza of all the tunnels when all is said and done.
I'm expecting years.
I hope the Israel has learned from our tremendous failure in Iraq. We hadn’t planned for what next and in trying to plan on the run, we made two huge mistakes that set the conditions for all the follow on death and destruction.
After planning for the off-ramp from hostilities and the near term end state they need to communicate to Gazans and the international community what it will be like after Hamas is defeated.
I completely agree with the comments here about how this will be a long bloody fight. Hamas is well trained now and has no doubt planned for some nasty surprises for the IDF.
The IDF will have to clear every building, room by room of an in-uniformed army that will use civilians as shields. They will face an army willing to use suicide bombers to kill some IDF soldiers. The tunnel system is probably extensive and runs under apartment buildings, hospitals and mosques.
After clearing these buildings the will have to post soldiers to prevent them from being re-occupied. This will be much harder than our operations in Fallujah.
I'm in agreement with your comment. A few things come to mind, Israel is basicly leveling part of Gaza. In urban fighting tanks and other armored vehicles become useless and sitting ducks. What Israel is doing by leveling blocks of buildings is clearing an area where tanks and heavily armored vehicles can operate without the confines of streets and enclosed restricted areas.
Extensive underground tunnels require oxygen and for oxygen, they will need generators and fuel. Cut off the fuel and the use of tunnels can be somewhat mitigated.
But cutting off fuel will leave the Israelis open to accusations of genocide (well, more than they already are).
Hi Krishna,
Yeah, that is probably correct but it isn't any different than bombing them using bunker busters. It's a hell of a lot better than going into those tunnels and trying to get them out. They are a death trap for the attacker (Israel).
I think that is why Israel has cut off fuel to Gaza. The question is how much has Hamas stockpiled. They will certainly use it for tunnel air pumps rather than hospitals.
Yes. And another factor: Israelis have been falsely accused of genocide etc for so long I think by now they realize that no matter what they do those false accusations will continue. So I think most Israelis by now care less about what people say about them than other countries would care.
I agree with that, Krishna.
Israel should eliminate Hamas and its supporters and then take Gaza and keep it to prevent problems there. After all the problems Gaza has caused rule by Israel will improve it.
The problem charger is that Israel occupied Gaza for 38 years and gave up in 2005. The Egyptians want no part of Gaza, there in lies the problem.
They might lobby to take control of it, since as they view it, the land was theirs. But then again, Abbas will want it too. They need it for a 2 state solution.
They need to completely remove the problems and start fresh without them.
Let's hope that happens, charger.
(See also Kavika's comment # 2 .1)
At one point Israel had occupied Gaza-- and before that Egypt did.
Both of those countries know what Gaza is like-- and neither want to occupy it.
(Another aspect of this that isn't discussed so much: there have been terror attacks for years-- Gaza terrorist sneaking into Israel and murdering Israelis. But what many people in the U.S/ don't know is that Gaza also has a border with Egypt-- and there have been occasions when Gazans actually got into Egypt and murdered Egyptians!
It will be long, it will be nasty, and casualties will be high. The question is, how long do the Palestinians want this to continue?
If the Arabs lay down their weapons, there will be peace. If the Israelis lay down their weapons, there will be no more Jews in the Middle East.
Didn't Golda Meir say that?
Make no mistake folks. This is all designed to get the U.S. involved in what is obviously an Iranian/soviet power play.
They're betting that Biden won't call their bluff.
WW3 anybody? It could easily come to that.
Iran has already attacked U.S. bases.
Wake up folks, this is happening!