class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
As of 3 p.m. today, 1.1 million people in the northern Gaza Strip had time to leave their homes. Israel wants to attack the area “with full force”. The Israeli forces announced this to the people of Gaza through leaflets.
The upcoming Israeli ground offensive suits Hamas well. Militarily, the radical Islamist organization is clearly inferior to the Israeli forces. But there are four reasons why Israel’s invasion of Gaza could be a terrible triumph for the terrorist gang.
1) Different rules apply in urban warfare
Nuclear power Israel has one of the best armies in the world with a state-of-the-art weapon arsenal. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has called up 360,000 reservists in recent days alone (in Israel, military service also applies to women). In contrast, there are an estimated 30,000 fighters from the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. They fight with guns and often homemade missiles.
On paper, things seem clear: Hamas has no chance. But once the battle between the unequal opponents takes place in a Hamas-controlled city, the tables turn. Military experts like the British Mike Martin emphasize that it takes four to ten times more fighters to take a city than to defend it. This was last seen in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. More than 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed during the capture of the relatively small city – considerably more than on the Ukrainian side.
Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is also home to numerous tunnel systems, all under Hamas control. For the Israelis, urban warfare in Gaza could become a death trap, despite their military superiority.
2) Danger of new hostages
Israel is pursuing two main goals with the invasion of Gaza: on the one hand, the destruction of Hamas’s military infrastructure, and on the other hand, the liberation of the 120 hostages who have been held in Gaza for a week. Hamas said at least 10 of the hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes. This information cannot be confirmed.
There is a high risk for Israel that Hamas could take new hostages from the ranks of the Israeli army during the fighting on its territory. As a reminder, in the fall of 2011, Israel released 1,027 captured Palestinians in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been kidnapped by Hamas. If Hamas were to succeed in kidnapping Israeli soldiers again, they would have enormous influence over Israel.
The Israeli forces, in turn, are likely to attempt to kidnap key Hamas figures to free the hostages in Gaza.
3) Image war
The new war in the Middle East is also a war of images. Both Hamas and Israel are trying to get the world on their side by presenting certain photos and films. Injured civilians and dead children play a central role in this terrible game.
An Israeli ground attack in Gaza, where children and youth make up almost half of the 2.3 million people, would inevitably unleash new horrors that Hamas will try to stoke hatred of Israel around the world.
4) Ground invasion brings Hezbollah into action
The Lebanese militia Hezbollah, an Iranian-funded military extremist organization, openly threatened on Friday to attack Israel from the north if the Jewish state did not immediately halt its attacks on Gaza. A ground invasion of Gaza will strengthen Hezbollah’s plan to attack Israel directly. The militia has an estimated 150,000 missiles and more than 100,000 active fighters in its ranks.
Israel would soon find itself in a two-front war. It is reasonable to assume that if there is an escalation in Gaza, Palestinian resistance in the West Bank will also intensify. A third front is likely to pose a serious threat to Israel.
Conclusion: Israel will respond with full force to Hamas’ terrorist attacks and do everything in its power to free the 120 hostages. The risk Israel is taking is enormous.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
