The war between Israel and Hamas has only just begun and it is quite possible that the worst is yet to come.
The Israeli army, which failed to stop the invasion on Saturday, is now dropping tons of bombs on Gaza, as it prepares a siege that will punish, above all, the two million long inhabitants, who are also victims of the terror regime it has imposed Hamas, the Islamist movement that has ruled the enclave with an iron fist for 16 years.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant, after warning that “we are fighting beasts”, announced that Israel has cut off the supply of electricity, fuel, water and food to the strip.
The survival of the population now depends on food reserves, which several international organizations estimate can last up to a month, as well as on the clandestine tunnels that connect the south of the enclave with Egypt.
Three days after the invasion, it is not clear that the army has regained control of the territory.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced the victory in six pockets of Islamist resistance on the Gaza side, but then he acknowledged that “there may still be terrorists in the area”. This nuance lends more credibility to the words of Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, who, for his part, had admitted that Hamas guerrillas continued to resist inside Israel. “This morning we thought we would be in a better situation”, he admitted without hiding the difficulties faced by the elite units who have to advance street by street and fight house by house against terrorists parapeted behind civilian hostages who they use as human shields.
The number of victims grows hour by hour and already exceeds 1,100. Israel recognizes 700 dead and 2,460 wounded. The Palestinians report 560 dead and 2,900 wounded. These are atrocious figures that have been reached in just three days of war and will continue to grow.
For Israel, the confirmation of the hundreds of people kidnapped and now hidden in the Zulus of Hamas is also terrible news. The number most mentioned is 150. Many of them are women and children.
Israel never leaves any of its people behind, and this commitment makes the ground offensive very difficult. Hamas threatens to kill the captives if the Israeli attacks do not stop.
Dozens of combat tanks and armored vehicles await the order to enter Gaza alongside 300,000 reservists. The risk is enormous, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to completely defeat Hamas, and it will be very difficult to achieve this from the air alone.
Aviation does not give rest. The bombings are massive and the population of Gaza has nowhere to take shelter. The bombs have destroyed several mosques and, at least, a market, an attack that caused dozens of deaths yesterday. Bombs also hit the telecommunications tower. The strip has practically run out of telephones and internet.
Hamas and its allies from the Islamic Jihad responded with new volleys of rockets, which hit the south of the country, the suburbs of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. The Iron Dome, the anti-missile defense system, could not cope with all of them.
The war is intensifying and already has two active fronts. Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah batteries in southern Lebanon, but that did not stop the Iran-allied Shiite organization from launching several projectiles. The population of northern Israel was advised not to leave their homes and spend the night in air raid shelters. Netanyahu has prepared the population for a long and difficult conflict. “We have started an offensive that will continue without pause or limitations until the objectives are achieved”, he assured in a statement.
The United States is giving him all the help he has asked for, from ammunition to naval and air support. The battle group of the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford, one of the most advanced in the world, is sailing towards the Israeli shores in a clear show of force. The deep political differences between Netanyahu and President Biden do not prevent the US from remaining true to the principle of protecting Israel whether it is yes or no. Europe, for its part, also stands by Israel, after reiterating that Israel has the right to defend itself and debate the future of aid to the Palestinians.
The Arab world, however, shows its solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Demonstrations of support for the Hamas offensive have spread from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic, from Bahrain to Morocco, two countries that have signed diplomatic agreements with Israel. It is now clear, therefore, that there will be no solid relationship between Israel and the Arab states until the Palestinian conflict is resolved. The idea that money could be dodged is gone. In this sense, Hamas, whatever happens, has achieved a great triumph after retaining Arab support for the Palestinian cause.
That is why Israel must carefully measure the next steps. Netanyahu is exploring the possibility of a government of national unity that dilutes his responsibility for the defense fiasco, but which, in turn, brings closer the more radical elements of the current coalition.
