At least 400 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours in the heaviest Israeli bombing since October 7. The first small-scale ground fighting took place in the western Gaza Strip yesterday, with Tel Aviv announcing the start of a ground invasion, although the US appears to be pushing for a delay.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 5,087, including 2,055 children and 1,119 women. Last night alone (22-23/10) more than 400 people died, almost half of whom were children, the Ministry of Health states. “Most of the dead were residents of the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where Israel invited residents of the northern part of the enclave to evacuate,” the Gaza administration said in a statement.
The need to change plans
At the same time, tensions with Lebanon are rising and analysts warn that the risk of a wider conflagration is very high.
Humanitarian aid literally “drop by drop” infiltrates the besieged enclave, while Palestinian sources say Israel bombed three nearby hospitals yesterday. All diplomatic efforts have failed, and demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine are growing around the world.
More than two weeks after Israel declared war on Hamas and called up hundreds of thousands of reservists, there are growing calls both abroad and at home to reconsider the scale of the ground invasion of Gaza. Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the discussions in the war cabinet, reports that the need for changes is due to many reasons. The three main ones are:
- The fear is that once the ground invasion of Gaza begins, Lebanese Hezbollah will rush into the country from the north.
- Concern about the fate of 222 hostages.
- Risk of heavy casualties among Israeli soldiers.
This does not mean that Israeli troops will not enter Gaza – this may happen soon, as airstrikes continue in the meantime. But the nature of the operation is being reviewed daily as some security veterans urge Israel not to rage but to methodically respond to the Hamas offensive that has killed more than 1,400 people.
“Waiting for ground operations does no harm, Yakov Amidror, a former national security adviser, said on television late Sunday. – Every day that passes benefits us and harms Hamas, and the more time passes, the less we have left.”.
The elimination of the terrorist organization Hamas remains the main goal. Defense Minister Yoav Galad confirmed that Israel’s ultimate goal is to create “new security reality” in the region. However, this requires patience, according to security veterans.
Others say that the longer the ground operation is delayed, the more likely it is that its nature will change from being a broad operation to targeting specific targets. Indeed, the word is increasingly used “maneuver”, but not “invasion”.
Release of hostages
Hostage negotiations targeting foreigners and dual citizens also play an important role. Western governments are putting pressure on Qatar, which donates huge sums to infrastructure projects in Gaza and hosts Hamas political leaders, to secure their release. Negotiations are progressing, officials told Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
US role
The US plays an important role in Israeli planning, offering advice and support and pressuring top officials to resolve sticky issues. These include the consequences of destroying a movement that is at once political, religious and military, as well as the risk of damaging Israel’s relations with Arab countries with which it has grown closer in recent years, Bloomberg reports.
The Americans also warn of too many civilian casualties and insist on sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where 2 million Palestinians are trying to survive in conditions of poverty and constant danger.
At the same time, the United States is increasing its military authority in the region, adding two aircraft carrier fleets, increasing the number of missile defense systems and increasing the number of troops.
Israeli officials believe they need to send two different messages. The first is addressed to other Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollahand is this: if necessary, Israel can act exactly like them and force its enemies to pay a terrible price.
Second, to Washington and other Western capitals: Israel shares their values of human life and is not like Islamic extremists.
“This is civilization against barbarism,” Netanyahu told Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday. “We are on the side of civilization. We must unite, all together, against Hamas.”
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