Since the unprecedented surprise attack on Israel, a ground invasion of Gaza has been on the agenda and it seems to be a matter of a short amount of time before the operation begins. The media is talking about a ground offensive to occupy the Gaza Strip. Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilead, head of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University, tells "Globes" that there is a distinction to be made between concepts that are sometimes confused.
"When we talk about a ground offensive, we talk about using forces to realize a strategic goal. On the other hand, occupation is a form of control in Gaza. All military operations are ground offensives. Clearing up the border area in Israel, Air Force operations to strike terrorists and commanders and preparing the ground for the entry of forces. After they take control of the Gaza Strip and eliminate Hamas, they will have to choose occupation or another option. A political decision regarding what we want to do with the territory will have to be discussed."
"The IDF's operational level is high"
Despite the failures on so many levels, Gilead insists that the IDF's operational level is high, and consequently it will achieve the aims set for it. "Israel defined its aim as neutralizing the capabilities of Hamas, which committed atrocities that even ISIS did not commit on such a scale, abductions and hostages, cruelty and horror on an unprecedented scale. The release of the hostages is a central consideration that should be an overarching aim in this war."
In the face of the atrocities, many opinion leaders, politicians and journalists speak in terms of "crushing" the Strip as a solution. Gilad explains that "I don't like these populist phrases, 'crush' is a phrase that suits politicians. There is no doubt that part of the failure is a conceptual approach according to which Hamas could be kept weakened and deterred. Due to the atrocities, the concept has collapsed."
However, Gilead believes that a long occupation of Gaza by the IDF would be an unbearable burden on Israel, and another authority must be found to control it the day after the neutralization of Hamas.
"Another authority could theoretically be Egypt or another international power, and even here I doubt whether there will be a country that would be willing to do so. In the future, they will probably want to re-establish the peace agreements. There are those who think that the Palestinians can be ignored in the agreements, and now it has been made clear that they cannot. Many things will change here in the wake of this catastrophe. When we finish the war, which requires the highest level of military activity, depending on how it ends, this is how the deterrence of our enemies will be defined."
"There is a difference between a war of choice and a war forced on us"
Gilead also talks about for the integration of Hamas into the strategic axis that includes Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. "In the north there is a large scale front that is not yet reflecting Hezbollah's capabilities. But in the end they know that the Americans are also here with tremendous forces, and this is a strong message from the other side."
"Some believe that we should launch a pre-emptive attack on Hezbollah. Personally, I think that we should focus on Hamas, which has become like ISIS in terms of its atrocities. We must succeed against it and not open a second front that will interfere. Of course, if they start, we need to be prepared. But when we are prepared, there is nothing to compare, there will be no surprises here. There is a difference between a war of choice and a war forced upon us," says Gilad. "As for Hamas, they made two big mistakes. The first is the horrible atrocities, which the Americans look on, as they looked at ISIS and led them to deprive them of all the capabilities that they had. The second thing is that they are isolated. Ultimately nobody came to their aid. Not Israel's Arabs, as Ben-Gvir warned would happen. Not in Judea and Samaria, where there is unrest, but the army maintains a firm grip there."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 16, 2023.
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