Israel Set to Deepen and Expand Gaza Offensive as War Goals Slip Away
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Despite the expanding offensive and the enemy’s losses, we are approaching a dangerous phase of incremental advances.
Amos Harel writes in Haaretz
In the time left before that happens, the campaign may deepen and even expand into additional parts of Gaza. The problem is that this is happening in the shadow of a darkening cloud of the war’s costs: Broad public support for a ground incursion, which was strong in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre, is now being gradually mixed with concern and skepticism. Despite the expanding offensive and the enemy’s losses, we are approaching a dangerous phase of incremental advances.
In northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces are finalizing control of the Shujaiyeh neighborhood in eastern Gaza City and the Jabalya refugee camp to its north. Two of Hamas’ most powerful battalions in northern Gaza were stationed in these two areas. As a result, the fighting there was harsh and not surprisingly took a lot longer than IDF commanders had anticipated.
- Israeli politicians are making promises about the Gaza war that the military can’t keep
- Israel’s Gaza fighting endangers the hostages. The government must now advance a deal
- Shujaiyeh battle exposes IDF’s flaws, but doesn’t indicate a shift in Gaza fighting
In the south, a division-level campaign is underway that is advancing slowly and cautiously amid the deep network of tunnels Hamas has dug there. The possibility of expanding the operation to other areas is being considered. Unusually, compared to previous wars, the IDF is for the most part not operating according to rigid timetables.