Israel's actions against the radical movement have caused an unequivocal reaction - from unreserved support to unreserved renunciation. However, it is obvious that, so far, Israeli leaders are not too worried about international response and are bent on stopping the rocket attacks.
Tsahal (the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF) has divided the theatre of operations into three parts, and is slowly advancing on Gaza. On January 11, the first Israeli units entered the city of Gaza, the Strip's capital which was blocked on January 4.
The main weapons in Gaza are heavy army bulldozers, not self-propelled artillery vehicles like those in the Lebanese war. They are used to destroy obstacles and pave roads for the troops in dense urban areas. Tank and infantry units follow them to destroy Hamas bases, weapons and ammunition.
Such actions by the ground forces in conjunction with the bombings and artillery shelling are causing civilian casualties. By Palestinian estimates, 830 civilians have been killed and 3,500 wounded. At the same time, the Israeli army is trying to reduce civilian losses by sending SMS messages and warning about the attacks by radio. But in a densely-populated area these measures cannot prevent civilian losses. Also, Palestinian terrorists do not stop at using civilians as "live shields."
This time, Hamas has sustained heavy losses as well. By the estimates of the Israeli military, about 300 Hamas fighters have been killed. The IDF has lost about 10 lives, and about a hundred servicemen have been wounded.
People who have nothing to do with this war are also losing their lives. Thus, several dozen were killed by the attacks on the UN school and refugee camps, from which the terrorists had launched rockets.
It is too early to assess the effectiveness of the ground operation. Since its start the terrorists have launched more than 500 rockets and over 120 mortar mines at Israel, killing several people and wounding more than 30. In the last few days, the intensity of rocket fire at Israel has substantially dropped. The results of the Lebanese war have come into play more than two years after - the Hezbollah movement has refused to start combat operations in Hamas' support, while the terrorist activity in the north of Israel has been limited to three rocket launches so far.
What are the political goals of the Israeli operation? Officially, one goal is a truce, but it is still unclear where the Israeli army is supposed to stop to reach it without too many losses. At the same time, complete occupation of the Gaza Strip and overthrow of the Hamas regime remain a radical solution to Israel's security.
Under the circumstances it is impossible to predict the consequences of such actions. The political price may prove to be higher than Israel can afford to pay.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
