'Israel' still many months away from achieving its goals
3 Min Read
Among the objectives not yet achieved are capturing or destroying munitions and weapons and rendering military bases and tunnels inoperative.
-
A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardments on January 21, 2024. (AFP)
The Israeli military is currently involved in intense fighting in Gaza, particularly in the southern city of Khan Yunis, as per Bloomberg. The objective is to "eliminate or capture Hamas leaders believed to be hiding in tunnels along with hostages."
In a briefing, an Israeli military intelligence officer claimed that among Hamas' five fighting brigades, Israeli forces have either killed or captured the majority of the commanders from two brigades located in the northern part of Gaza.
One of the most confounding issues for "Israel" is that Hamas continues to fire rockets into the country, and the latest barrage was launched on Monday, with some reaching "Tel Aviv".
The current focus is on the Khan Yunis brigade, as stated by Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, in a recent press conference. He further claimed that Israeli troops have killed and apprehended over 300 Palestinians "suspected of engaging in terrorist activities."
Additionally, Hagari alleged that, for the first time, Israeli forces are actively engaging in combat within the tunnel network beneath Gaza.
Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city with a dense population, holds strategic significance as the hometown of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and military chief Mohammed Deif. "Israel" claims they are currently in the city.
The big picture
After four months, the situation in Gaza remains challenging, with key Hamas figures still controlling the battlefield, and a significant portion of the military infrastructure undamaged, Bloomberg reported. This has made the confrontations more challenging than anticipated by Israeli military officials. The resistance is inflicting substantial losses, with at least 220 Israeli soldiers killed. However, Israeli leaders maintain that they are making significant progress.
Over 26,000 Palestinians, predominantly women, and children, have been killed by the Israeli war machine in the ongoing Gaza aggression, as reported by the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Israeli intelligence officer mentioned that "Israel" is still many months away from achieving its goals, which include capturing or destroying munitions and weapons and rendering military bases and tunnels inoperative. Accomplishing that will take all of 2024 — and perhaps longer, he said.
Three months into the Israeli aggression on #Gaza, and as Israeli decision-making circles are increasingly discussing an end to the war and for negotiations for the return of the captives, "Israel's" failure in achieving any of its objectives is already apparent. pic.twitter.com/CihTUhgtMU
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 24, 2024
The expectation that dismantling Hamas will not occur swiftly is one of the reasons Israeli officials are resisting the idea of a prolonged or permanent ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli captives.
One of the perplexing challenges for "Israel" is that Hamas, although launching fewer rockets than before, continues to fire them into the country.
