Israeli military analysts said the withdrawal of almost all Israeli soldiers from Gaza marked a shift from all-out war to targeted operations.
Israel’s last divisions in Gaza withdrew over the weekend, leaving only a remnant force guarding the Necharim corridor that separates the north and south of the enclave.
Benjamin Netanyahu insists the goals of the invasion remain unchanged, including the total destruction of Hamas, and that a ground offensive against the southern city of Rafah will continue despite international pressure.
Israel’s prime minister faces pressure from members of his ruling coalition who have threatened to overthrow the government if the war is contained.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gwi warned on Monday: “If the prime minister decides to end the war without launching a massive attack on Rafah to defeat Hamas, he will not have the mandate to continue as prime minister.”
Professor Kirby Michael, a military analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgaff Institute, an Israeli think tank, said the war would continue but in a reduced form and that the military presence in Gaza would be reduced.
“This is the end of the intense phase of the war,” he said. “The new phase will be very focused raids based on accurate intelligence.”
After the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the incident, Professor Michael said the shift was partly to make the troops less vulnerable to attack. four soldiers died In Gaza over the weekend, the total since the ground operation began on October 27 reached 260.
Israel also wanted an element of surprise, being able to launch surprise attacks without warning the enemy in advance, he added.
Its forces will remain within striking distance of the safety of the Gaza Strip, where soldiers have been destroying buildings to create buffer zones and offensive positions – a practice criticized by human rights groups.
Professor Michael said Rafah in southern Gaza would be targeted for operations despite objections from foreign governments and humanitarian groups over the potential impact on the estimated 1.3 million Palestinians living in the city, most of whom have been displaced from other areas. the key of.
“The operations will not be similar to what we saw in Gaza City or Khan Younis, they will be more surgical,” said the analyst, who added that the military operations carried out at Shifa Hospital last month after withdrawing troops from Israel Actions are compared. Northern Gaza.
Israel claims no civilians were killed in the attack on Gaza’s largest hospital.this World Health Organization says 21 patients died The hospital is now an “empty shell” with most of the buildings “severely damaged or destroyed”.
Israeli military analyst Ron Ben-Ishai noted that withdrawing troops from Khan Younis would also allow a large number of refugees to return from the city, including many who fled to Rafah, which could lead to an attack on Rafah.
“The hundreds of thousands of residents of Khan Yunis who fled to Rafah and returned to their homes will be part of the IDF’s evacuation plan,” he wrote for an Israeli newspaper. new news newspaper. “This will allow the remaining four battalions of the Hamas brigade in Rafah to be finally disbanded.”
Yakov Amidrol, a former IDF general and Mr. Netanyahu’s former national security adviser, said the intense phase of fighting would be followed by a year-long campaign targeting militant centers that survived the initial bombing. Intelligence-led “grey operations” targeting high-value targets, such as Hamas leaders.
“We’ll have a good understanding of their underground structure so we can go back and destroy other elements,” he said. “If we learn that an organization is rebuilding [weapons] We can destroy its factory immediately. “
But a protracted war risks miring Israel, said Shlomi Eldar, senior Gaza-based correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, citing Lebanon’s bloody three-year war in the 1980s as a warning.
“We have a Hebrew phrase for ‘drowning in the mud of Lebanon,'” he said. “[It means] Trapped for a long time and counting the bodies. “
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