WhatsappWars are fought to win not to reach ceasefires. Since 1967, Israel has never truly won a war, but rather reached accommodations with its enemies. The war in Gaza is different. The IDF has been told to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and in doing so, Israel has sent in five divisions - essentially the entire standing army to crush all resistance once and for all.
Despite the rumors being circulated that the Trump administration is trying to get Israel to hold off (most likely due to Qatari pressure), Israel does not seem like it is ready to pause yet again. According to reports on the ground, the IDF is pounding Hamas command centers throughout the strip while ground forces are moving into Khan Yunis and the outskirts of Gaza City.
Hamas itself now claims that the IDF controls 77% of the Gaza Strip. Whether or not that exact number if accurate, the fact is, the IDF has never used this amount of ground forces since the beginning of the war.
When pundits complain about a lack of day after plan on the part of Israel, what they don’t seem to understand is that Israel’s day after plan is not remotely the same as previous ones – Israel is going into to win and that means completely reoccupy Gaza.
The coming weeks will not be easy. More an more counties will demand that Israel halt the offensive. They will claim they fear for the Gazans, but that is a lie. What they are afraid of is Israel actually winning. Defeating Hamas and reoccupying Gaza is a blow to the Jihad and ultimately Qatar’s hopes for a resurgent caliphate ruled by Doha.
Despite the criticism, Israel does not seem likely to capitulate – this time the Jewish State plans on winning.
