Israel has reconsidered its plan regarding a full-scale ground assault targeting Hamas in Gaza, heeding suggestions from American officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin, a US report has claimed.
Intense brainstorming between the two allies prompted Israel to refrain from a swift invasion of the enclave in the wake of Hamas' attack on October 7, US sources were cited as saying.
As a result of the intense “war planning” between Israel and top US officials, the IDF was swayed to embark upon “more limited ground incursions” into Gaza, in line with a "phased operation," the report claimed.
Originally, Israeli military officials reportedly laid out plans for a much more vigorous push into Gaza as they conferred with Austin and other top-ranking US military officials. Furthermore, the initial blueprint for an Israeli invasion of Gaza to go after Hamas ostensibly left US officials “alarmed.” The American side is described as having voiced concern that the Israeli military, lacking “achievable military objectives,” was not prepared to embark on a ground invasion.
Austin purportedly held a succession of telephone conversations with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, making the case for meticulous planning and consideration. The US defense secretary reportedly pointed to the challenges of a ground invasion of Gaza, where Hamas utilizes a network of underground tunnels beneath densely-populated areas. Negotiations regarding the release of hostages held by Hamas are also said to have impacted influenced Israel’s war planning, as per the cited US sources.
The report comes as US media has cited sources as claiming the State Department was unaware of Israel’s plan to “expand” ground operations in Gaza ahead of Friday's developments.
On October 27, Israel carried out some of the heaviest bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the Palestine-Israel conflict escalated in the wake of Hamas' attack on October 7. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a televised address on Saturday night, telling the nation that the Israeli military had commenced the “second stage” of its war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
“Last night, additional ground forces entered Gaza, marking the beginning of the second stage of the war, whose goal is to destroy the military and political capabilities of Hamas and to bring our kidnapped citizens back,” Netanyahu stated. He also warned Israeli citizens to be prepared for a long and difficult struggle ahead.
Echoing the same rhetoric, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, confirmed in a statement that the "objectives of the war" on Hamas militant group "require ground entry.
"There are no achievements without risks, and there is no victory without prices being paid. In order to expose the enemy and destroy it, there is no other way but to enter its territory with great force,” he stated in a video statement.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also assured that Israel had “moved on to a new phase in the war,” claiming that “the ground shook in Gaza.”
28 October 2023, 08:40 GMT