What are Israel's plans for Gaza? - Analysis

Israel will start a new tactic in the fight with Hamas, that is, a war of exhaustion of the enemy's resources. A war that will last for years.

After Israel realized that it was failing and that it could not defeat Hamas in a guerilla fight without losing half its army, the Israeli leadership made drastic changes in its plans to defeat Hamas.

A month ago the IDF began withdrawing from northern Gaza despite the fact that Hamas had not yet been defeated and heavy fighting was still taking place. After a few weeks, Hamas again began to take back under its control the territories that the Israeli army had abandoned.

The IDF's announced plan to seize to capture Khan Yunis also appears to have failed, after Israeli media reported today that the IDF is beginning to withdraw its battalions from there as well.

While the fighting has been going on for the past few months, Israel has destroyed over 1100 buildings that were located within a 1km perimeter next to the Gaza fence. Israeli officials have confirmed that Israel wants to create a 1km safety zone from the fence inside Gaza.

Then the Israeli army will gradually withdraw from Gaza, and begin to keep it completely under siege, in poverty, without food, water, medicine, forcing the population to turn against Hamas and begin to surrender their positions, while Israel will resume continuous bombing and targeting of Gaza that will last for years.

This would allow Israel to drastically reduce the portion of its army holding the siege of Gaza, while the bulk would be sent north to fight Hezbollah.

Hamas, due to lack of military equipment and technology, will not be able to cross that 1 km open zone without being detected and will be practically unable to wage war, except to sit and wait inside Gaza.

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