ANALYSIS: Why Israel Is Delaying Ground Offensive In Gaza

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Sixteen days after the brutal massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorist barbarians, and despite amassing a huge military force near the southern border, Israel has yet to send ground forces into the Gaza strip. The patience of most Israelis is being sorely tried: Almost everyone has family members, including husbands, fathers, sons and daughters waiting at the border (and some families unfortunately have loved ones over the border in captivity). The logistics of maintaining such a large operation have affected both the morale of those on the home front as well as the economy, already shaky in the wake of the judicial reform protests and internal strife.

Yet a sober appraisal of Israel’s situation will lead to the ineluctable conclusion that every day that Israel delays its ground entry gives it a qualitative military advantage.

Firstly, Israel needed to ensure that it will not be caught by surprise on two fronts. Thus, the IDF has reacted strongly to all the provocations by Hezbollah and has prepared the Galilee for potential attacks by the Iran-backed terrorist group. Hezbollah’s threat is by no means confined to its 40000-strong army. The group has enormous stockpiles of anti-tank weapons and rockets which can hit almost any Israeli city. Yet Hezbollah as opposed to Hamas has much to lose politically and militarily from the confrontation, and is therefore intentionally keeping its attacks limited, and Israel has responded similarly in what can be termed a “low-intensity conflict”.

Additionally, Israel is pulverizing Gaza from the air, deactivating key defense systems and ensuring the breakdown of communications and weapon infrastructure in the Gaza strip. Hamas’s desperate pleas for humanitarian aid are now a tool in Israel’s hands which could be used to bully the terrorist group into releasing some of the over 200 hostages in its hands. Israel is utilizing Egypt and Qatar, two Hamas allies, to pressure Hamas into concessions, as world opinion still swings in Israel’s favor.

The combination of significant damage to military installations, diplomatic pressure and depletion of critical supplies of fuel and food can achieve the same effect as a ground offensive without the dangers and casualties such an offensive could produce. Put simply, Israel would prefer Hamas surrender rather than having to initiate a protracted operation to destroy every last enclave of the group.

A third possible consideration is the hostages themselves and the pressure of the families to act on their behalf. Entering Gaza with ground forces could be a death sentence for the hostages, as the terrorists realize they will not survive the confrontation with the IDF. Continuing air offensives may bring down Hamas without the need for military intervention, as its entire leadership will flee or be targeted remorselessly by precision weapons. This could pave the way for a political coup and the release of the hostages by citizens fed up with Hamas’s excesses.

Israel is also keeping a close eye on a third possible front – the Hamas elements in Judea and Samaria. A crackdown on terrorist elements has led to over a 100 terrorists eliminated in the region since October 7, and additionally Israel has moved swiftly to curb any incitement and arrest all supporters of Hamas atrocities. Many Arabs have been fired from work and interrogated over social media support of Hamas, while all the communities adjacent to Arabs in Judea and Samaria have been supplied with advanced weaponry to stave off possible copycat attacks by local terrorist groups.

The US has also advised Israel to delay its ground offensive, both in order to facilitate negotiations in which the US is taking a significant role due to its citizens being held captive and to enable it to prepare a possible coordinated military response to a Hezbollah attack on Israel.

Thus, despite the knee-jerk wish to “eradicate Gaza”, Israel has every reason to delay the ground incursion, as time is now very much on its side in this conflict. At some stage it could choose to attack, but the element of surprise and the attrition of the Hamas defenses can only benefit the IDF, as Gaza is slowly throttled into submission.