Israel Warns War Could Last Over Year, Ground Invasion Likely
Military analysts say any ground campaign in Gaza will be bloody for the Israeli side because Hamas fighters are likely dug in
Israel is prepared to carry out its ground invasion of Gaza after flattening the coastal city that has been called a concentration camp, and top officials see the war lasting over a year.
Ben Zvi, the Israeli ambassador to Moscow, said the decision for a ground invasion has been made, according to RT, the Russian news outlet. Israel’s top priority is to destroy Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the Hamas attack earlier this month.
“We shall do all efforts to bring our hostages alive,” he said, according to the outlet. He said it remains Israel’s “first and last priority, even if it take a year.”
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said the campaign will have three phases and the goal is to establish a “new security reality,” according to Al Jazeera.
The Israeli Army just isn’t that good, and they’re scared to death because Hamas is waiting for them. This is one giant ambush and the Israeli intelligence is blind. They don’t know where they are. They’re going to have to go in there and probe, and as they probe, they’re going to be blown up, ambushed, slaughtered. -Scott Ritter
Phase 1: Destruction of infrastructure
Phase 2: Low intensity engagement to wipe out small pockets of fighters
Phase 3: “The removal of Israel’s responsibility for life in the Gaza strip, and the establishment of a new security reality for the citizens of Israel”
Military analysts say any ground campaign in Gaza will be bloody for the Israeli side because Hamas fighters are likely dug in.
There have been questions if Israel would commit to sending its forces on the ground but Gallant told his troops earlier this week: “You see Gaza now from a distance. You will soon see it from inside. The command will come.”
So far, about 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the start of the war, and 3,800 Palestinians.
TRENDPOST: Scott Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, told Redacted earlier this week that Israel is worried.
“The Israeli Army is not very good,” he said, before noting that it did have some very capable units.
“Most these reservists spent their time walking the streets in the West Bank learning how to break the arms of 10-year-old children, how to rough up 15-year-old girls, how to belly shoot 60-year-old men,” he said. “That’s what they did. Brutal occupation. It was horribly demoralizing for many of these people, they didn’t like doing this, and when they left the military, they didn’t have a high regard for the military.”
He said most have no interest in fighting in Gaza because in 2014 “they went into Gaza and Hamas handed it to them. In 2006, they went up against Hezbollah, and Hezbollah handed it to them. The Israeli Army just isn’t that good, and they’re scared to death because Hamas is waiting for them. This is one giant ambush and the Israeli intelligence is blind. They don’t know where they are. They’re going to have to go in there and probe, and as they probe, they’re going to be blown up, ambushed, slaughtered. And they know this. The other thing that scares them is that once they go into Gaza, they’re going to be committed to that battle with the bulk of their reserves. And if at that time, Hezbollah decides to open up a northern front, Israel’s got nothing left, and even if they had something left, they can’t beat Hezbollah.”
This inflationary shell game should be obvious. When they stopped counting the cost of food and gas to calculate inflation; then the question becomes, why would they exclude the two things that went up the most?