Despite the Hamas massacres
Support for a ground offensive is dwindling in Israel
October 27, 2023, 10:01 a.m
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After the Hamas bloodbath and the murder of hundreds of civilians, there is great horror in Israel – and there is also support for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. But now skepticism is growing. There is obviously one main reason for this.
According to a survey, 49 percent of Israelis are in favor of holding off on a large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. In contrast, only 29 percent express the opinion that the Israeli military should immediately invade the coastal strip, according to a survey published by the newspaper Maariw. This means that support for a ground offensive is dwindling significantly: in a survey on October 19th, 65 percent were still in favor of an invasion, as the paper further reports.
Survey responses suggested that the roughly 200 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip played an important role in the shift in opinion. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has said 50 hostages were killed there in Israeli airstrikes. One released hostage reported being held in a Hamas tunnel targeted by Israel.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed again that the army was preparing for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. “I won’t say when, how and how many.” The head of government said he would also not go into the range of considerations, most of which were not known to the public. “And that’s how it should be. This is the way to protect the lives of our soldiers.”
There are already a few ground troops in the Gaza Strip
So far, the Israeli army has only sent occasional ground troops into the Gaza Strip, most recently at night. US President Joe Biden reportedly recommended that Israel hold off on the ground offensive. However, the air attacks with which Israel is responding to the major Hamas attack on October 7th are continuing. Despite the airstrikes, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip continue to attack Israeli towns with rockets.
Efraim Halevy, former head of the Israeli secret service Mossad, also recently warned of a large-scale ground offensive by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. This is risky at the moment. “Invading the area with a large army would be a mistake,” Halevy told the “Handelsblatt”. “We have never carried out such a massive operation before”; we simply lacked the experience to assess the risks of such an operation.
The ex-Mossad chief advises a “pause for thought,” as he told the newspaper. During this time a “surprise effect could arise, a creative solution”. According to his assessment, the Israeli military is hesitating with the announced ground offensive because of the foreseeable duration and the high level of wear and tear – not to mention the human casualties. The hostages are also part of the decision-making process.