Israel’s leaders have said they want to completely remove Hamas and make sure Gaza doesn’t return to how it used to be.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that every member of Hamas is in danger after they attacked Israel and caused a lot of harm. The plan for Operation Swords of Iron seems bigger than anything the military has done in Gaza before. But is it really possible, and how can they do it?
Sending troops into the Gaza Strip means fighting in the cities and puts a lot of people at risk, especially those who aren’t involved in the fighting. Bombs from the air have already caused a lot of deaths, and over 400,000 people have had to leave their homes.
The military also has the tough job of finding and saving at least 150 people who are being kept captive in places that aren’t known.
Herzi Halevi, who leads the Israel Defense Forces, has promised to “break down” Hamas and has pointed out the leader of Hamas in Gaza. But do they have a clear plan for what Gaza will be like after 16 years of violent rule by Hamas?
Military expert Amir Bar Shalom from Israel’s Army Radio thinks, “I don’t believe Israel can get rid of every single member of Hamas because it’s a very extreme Islamic idea. But they can make it much weaker so it can’t do much.
It seems like a more doable goal. Israel has had four battles with Hamas, and trying to stop their rocket attacks hasn’t worked before.
A spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, said that by the end of this war, Hamas shouldn’t have the power to harm or scare Israeli people with their military anymore.
Ground invasion fraught with risk
There are a lot of things that could make the military plan go off track.
The armed part of Hamas, called the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, will be ready for Israel’s attack. They’ll have put explosive devices in place and planned ambushes. They have a big and well-known system of tunnels they can use to surprise Israeli forces.
Back in 2014, Israeli groups of soldiers had a hard time because of things like mines that blow up tanks, hidden shooters, and surprise attacks. Many regular people also got hurt fighting in the top part of Gaza City.
Because of these dangers, Israel has asked over a million Palestinians in the upper part of the Gaza Strip to leave.
The war might last for months, and a very high number of reserve soldiers, about 360,000, are ready to join.
The big question is how long Israel can keep going with this plan without other countries telling them to stop.
The UN’s agency for refugees is saying Gaza is getting really bad. Many people are dying, and there’s not enough water, electricity, or fuel. Now, about half the people are being told to leave big parts of the area.
A top journalist on security and intelligence in Israel, Yossi Melman, thinks the government and military believe they have support from other countries, especially leaders from the West. They think, “Let’s get ready, we have a lot of time.” But Yossi Melman thinks that sooner or later, Israel’s friends will step in if they see pictures of people not having enough food.
Saving the hostages
There are many hostages, including Israelis, but also citizens from other countries and people with dual nationality. This means that countries like the US, France, and the UK are very interested in getting them back safely.
President Emmanuel Macron of France has promised families in France and Israel that he will bring their loved ones back. He said, “France will always help its people.”
We don’t know how much the fate of the hostages will affect the military’s plans. Israel’s leaders are also feeling pressure from inside their own country.
Amir Bar Shalom compares this situation to what happened in 1972 during the Munich Olympics. Palestinian gunmen took Israeli athletes hostage and 11 people died. They launched an operation to find and deal with everyone involved in the attack. Amir Bar Shalom thinks the government will want to do the same in this case.
Rescuing so many people held in different parts of Gaza might be too much even for Israel’s elite unit, Sayeret Matkal. Hamas has already said they might hurt the hostages to try to stop an Israeli attack.
In 2011, Israel traded over 1,000 prisoners to get back a soldier, Gilad Shalit, who had been held by Hamas for five years. But now, Israel will think very carefully before doing another big prisoner swap, because one of the men released in that trade, Yahya Sinwar, is now the leader of Hamas in Gaza.
CREDIT:BBC