Israel will have to dig deep for its Gaza City offensive
Since the renewal of ground operations in March this year under the Southern Command, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have entered a defining phase of their campaign in the Gaza Strip. Under the framework of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’, Israeli troops have achieved what military officials describe as operational control over approximately 75 per cent of the territory. This advance has laid the foundation for the IDF’s current positioning on the outskirts of Gaza City and the launch of the next phase of the war: a concentrated assault on the remaining Hamas strongholds in the urban core.
There is an undercurrent of exhaustion across the Israeli public
The gains under Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ are considerable. According to official briefings, five IDF divisions operated simultaneously across Gaza, dismantling dozens of terror tunnels, eliminating senior Hamas commanders, and striking roughly 10,000 targets using air and naval assets. Two strategic ground corridors – the ‘Morag’ and ‘Magen Oz’ corridors – were established, effectively bisecting key Hamas brigades and disrupting their operational coherence. High-profile eliminations included Mohammad Sinwar, head of Hamas’ military wing, and senior commanders of the Rafah and South Khan Yunis battalions. Much of this, of course, has barely been mentioned in Western media coverage, which........
© The Spectator
