On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they are ready to begin a ground attack on Hamas terrorists in Gaza to find and destroy Hamas members, leadership, and infrastructure and that the campaign should start as soon as possible.
The Israel Defense Forces believes that in order to attain the government’s stated objectives in the war against the Hamas terror group, the military must begin its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip sooner rather than later, The Times of Israel learned Monday.
Israel says its war against Hamas is aimed at destroying the Iran-backed terror group’s infrastructure and has vowed to dismantle the organization after the October 7 massacres.
There is some concern that the Israeli government may be unwilling to give the order to proceed.
The Times of Israel learned that, after 16 days of airstrikes, the IDF has told the government that it is fully prepared for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, and believes it can achieve the goals set out for it, even at the risk of heavy casualties to soldiers, and amid ongoing attacks by Hezbollah in the north.
But the military fears that the government may not ever give the order to begin the ground offensive, or postpone it for a lengthy period.
Hamas has released a few hostages of the many they hold, and there are reports that there are negotiations between Jerusalem and Washington to delay the operation to allow the United States to take steps to safeguard American troops, civilians, and facilities in the region.
An invasion of Gaza would involve moving forces into a heavily built-up urban area, which has historically been extremely difficult for traditional forces; the cover provided by buildings requires a lot of dismounted infantry support for armored vehicles, or else the advantages of armor can be negated by the use of improvised explosive devices or something as simple as a bottle of gasoline with a lighted cloth wick dropped out of a window. It is likely that the IDF's goals in Gaza could take months, if not years, to realize, and it will also likely be nasty, door-to-door, wall-breaking close-quarters fighting. These kinds of battles use up personnel and equipment at horrible rates. At the same time, there is urgency that the operation should begin while men and equipment are still at a high state of readiness.
The IDF is also prepared to conduct hostage rescue operations as soon as possible.
Regarding the 222 confirmed hostages held by Hamas and other terror groups in the Gaza Strip, the military has been preparing for the possibility of rescue operations amid the ground offensive, according to information seen by The Times of Israel.
Special operations units could be a valuable force multiplier in this operation. As my colleague Jeff Charles informed us on Monday, Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, has formed an elite group designed specifically to hunt down and eliminate Hamas members involved in the attack. Israel claims to have already killed 1,500 of the Hamas terrorists who took part in the invasion of Israel on October 7th.
Israel is right to defend itself; Israel is right to be ready to move in and do what is necessary to make sure there can be no repeat of October 7th. But there should be no illusions that there may be a quick, easy, Desert Storm-style resolution here. In 1991, the Iraqi Army was a traditional combined-arms force using mostly Vietnam-era hardware, caught in open country by an opponent who owned the skies and who had enormous advantages in technology, logistics, and organization. In Gaza, the Israelis enjoy a technological edge and unfettered air superiority, but urban terrain lessens the advantages of technology, and the IDF will be facing irregular fighters who can blend into the general population by the simple means of dropping their weapon and walking around a corner.
The battle for Gaza will be prolonged and bloody, with great losses on both sides. That doesn't mean Israel shouldn't or won't do it — but there should be no illusions about the cost.