A report by the American Time magazine stated that Israel’s declared goal is to eliminate the movement agitation As an armed group and political force in Gaza strip. He pointed to the opinions of experts who say that Israeli officials are not thinking strategically enough about long-term plans for Gaza while they study what is expected to be a costly ground attack in the Strip.
Michael Milstein, a professor of Palestinian affairs at Reichman University in Israel, commented, “We are calling for the collapse of the Hamas regime, but these are just slogans. As Israelis, we really need to dig deeper and understand what the implications of this step are.”
The magazine identified 4 possible options for Israel towards Gaza, based on conversations with experts who say each of them has its own challenges. “They’re all bad, and there’s no good alternative,” Milstein says.
The first option: Israel does not launch a ground attack
Because it will lead to more deaths for both sides. The Israeli army will face a type of urban warfare that it has not witnessed in 9 years since the last ground invasion in 2014, which lasted 50 days and claimed the lives of 72 Israelis and 2,251 Palestinians. This time, the presence of about 220 hostages may complicate matters further.
“It is likely that the hostages will be dispersed,” says Alex Pletsas of the Atlantic Council think tank. “Given the lack of medical evacuation support or the ability to easily insert rapid reaction forces to support those working on the ground, it will be difficult to conduct simultaneous covert hostage rescue missions in multiple locations across Gaza.” .
The second option: reoccupying Gaza
In this scenario, Israel may reoccupy the Gaza Strip and become responsible for governing the Palestinian territories.
Milstein says this scenario would be among the worst possible options for Israel. US President Joe Biden also warned in a previous interview that “it would be a mistake” for Israel to reoccupy the region, exposing Israeli forces to violent resistance.
The third option: eliminating Hamas and leaving Gaza
In this scenario, Israel would seek to destroy Hamas, but would refrain from getting involved in the messy business of governing Gaza.
Milstein warns that in this case the Strip could easily descend into further chaos and violent conflict as different groups compete to fill the power vacuum created by Hamas’s absence.
He says, “It may seem like the new regime that America tried to establish in Iraq after the fall of the Baath regime in 2003.”
Fourth option: Bringing a new player to rule Gaza
In this case, Israel may seek to search for other local factions inside Gaza and try to enter into a partnership with them to create a new ruling party.
“This could mean tribal leaders, NGOs, mayors, or even senior figures in Fatah, the political movement that controls the Palestinian Authority,” Milstein says.
