Israel finally launched its long-awaited ground operation in Gaza City yesterday, BTA reported.
Previously, the Israeli army launched a series of massive strikes overnight in preparation for the start of the offensive, which aims to deal a crushing blow to "Hamas" - the Palestinian Islamist movement, whose surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the Israeli army announced its plans to establish control over Gaza - the largest city in the strip of the same name. It is believed that "Hamas" There are still fighters and infrastructure there, despite suffering heavy blows since the start of the war nearly two years ago.
The operation was preceded by disputes between the Israeli political leadership and the military command, with the latter eventually managing to convince the former to abandon its plans to establish control over the entire strip, warning that the price for this would be too high.
Gaza City, located in the northern part of the strip of the same name, had over 590,000 inhabitants before the start of the conflict - that is, almost a quarter of the entire population of this narrow, extremely densely populated territory with an area of only 365 square kilometers on the Mediterranean coast. It is estimated that nearly one million people have gathered there during the war.
Following orders from the political leadership, the Israeli army "expanded the ground operation in the "Hamas" bastion Gaza City," a spokesman said yesterday, quoted by DPA.
He explained that these were "gradual maneuvers" involving both air and ground forces, aimed at eliminating the militants of the Palestinian Islamist movement hiding in the vast network of tunnels under the largest city in the Gaza Strip.
Before that, the Israeli army subjected the city to massive air strikes at night.
"Gaza is burning," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on Telegram, quoted by the Associated Press. He vowed that Israel would not stop "until the mission is accomplished."
Palestinians fleeing Gaza City told the BBC that the bombardment was extremely fierce.
ISRAEL'S CLEAR MILITARY SUPERIORITY
According to Israeli data, there are up to 3,000 combat-ready Hamas members in the city, DPA notes.
The Israeli army has deployed two divisions against them, consisting of both regular soldiers and reservists, spokesman Avihai Adraeh said.
A division usually consists of 10-15,000 soldiers, DPA points out.
In fact, it is believed that the Palestinian Islamist movement, which established control over the Gaza Strip before nearly two decades, had 25-30 thousand fighters before the war began. As early as August last year, Israel announced that it had killed more than half of them - at least 17 thousand, notes the BBC.
These figures cannot be independently verified. In any case, however, "Hamas" suffered very heavy blows, with almost its entire political and military leadership killed by the Israeli army. It is significant that the rocket fire from Gaza on Israel has practically stopped, and the forces of the Palestinian Islamist movement are sufficient for sporadic attacks such as the one in Jerusalem last week.
ASYMMETRICAL CONFLICT
And although six people were killed in this attack, it is obvious that there can be no talk of an equal military resistance. There are all signs of a so-called asymmetric conflict, in which there is no real front line and open fighting.
However, this gives a certain advantage to the weaker side, in this case "Hamas", which can carry out surprise attacks and inflict painful losses on the enemy, although it has practically no chance of victory.
In addition, Avihai Adraeh expressed his expectation that the operation would be complex and warned of "many challenges".
Another Israeli army spokesperson, Effie Defrin, predicted that the ground offensive would last a long time.
It will take several months to take control of the most important areas in Gaza. After that, destroying the infrastructure of terrorist organizations in the city will take several more months, Defrin said.
This Israeli army spokesman pointed out that "an extensive network of tunnels runs under the streets, connecting command centers, rocket launchers and weapons depots". "All of them are deliberately hidden under civilians and civilian infrastructure", he stressed.
INCREASING CRITICISM
However, the Israeli military operation in Gaza has been increasingly criticized by the international community for the high human cost and numerous casualties.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk yesterday demanded that the "slaughter" stop and added that "evidence of genocide" is increasing, Agence France-Presse reported.
"What is happening in Gaza today is horrifying. We are witnessing the massive destruction of neighborhoods, the systematic destruction of Gaza City," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, quoted by DPA.
A UN Human Rights Council investigation committee even qualified what is happening in Gaza as "genocide" - an accusation that was categorically rejected by Israel.
The Israeli army, for its part, assured that it would do everything possible to guarantee the safety of both the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the civilians in the city of the same name. According to her data, about 40% of the civilians in Gaza City (i.e. more than 350,000 people) have already heeded her call to evacuate.
CONCLUSION
So, it seems that the Israeli ground operation in Gaza City will continue in full force for at least several months. This will undoubtedly weaken "Hamas" even more. However, an asymmetric conflict in such a densely populated city and the alleged mixing of fighters and infrastructure of the Palestinian Islamist movement with the civilian population and homes raises serious concerns about the high price that the peaceful residents of the Gaza Strip, which has already been largely reduced to ruins, will pay. That is, in practice, it is necessary to evacuate all civilians - a prospect that seems too hypothetical.
There are also questions about the meaning of the operation from a military point of view, given that it is already difficult to speak of "Hamas" as a single military unit. The Israeli army could effectively neutralize the remaining cells and infrastructure of the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza City only if the civilians are evacuated.
Also worrying is the fate of the dozens of Israeli hostages who are believed to be alive.
/НС/
Source: www.bta.bg