After Hamas's massive attack, Israel has announced an unprecedented counterattack. Air strikes have been carried out on the Gaza Strip since Saturday. Meanwhile, the army is sending tanks and other equipment to the Gaza border.
Talking hasn't been an option for Israel for a long time. There has been radio silence since it withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Hamas subsequently seized power in the area. Israel is therefore looking at what it can do militarily. But all options have major disadvantages. Actually there are two options, air strikes and a ground offensive. During air strikes, Israel can attack targets from great distances. But a big problem is that you don't know where civilians and hostage Israelis are. So you run a risk there. There is also a historical lesson. History shows that you can destroy a city, but if you want to break an opponent's will to fight, that doesn't work. E.g. the bombing of Hanoi in the Vietnam War and the bombing of Berlin in World War II. "In the end, you don't win a war with that. A land offensive could allow Israel to penetrate deeper into Hamas's power base. But such an offensive carries major risks for Israel. "You then have to conquer territory house by house, floor by floor, room by room. That is a very intensive form of fighting, which leads to great losses on both sides. Moreover, Israeli soldiers would then be fighting in Hamas territory; an area where Hamas is lord and master. The reference to an earlier war that Israel fought, in 2006 against the militant movement Hezbollah in Lebanon, is clear. There too, fighting took place at house level, resulting in many casualties on the Israeli side. It shows when you start such a war, you are choosing between two evils. Earlier, Israel hit back against Hamas, hard but in moderation. Israel then often used air power to eliminate targets. Now Israel will want to go further. Israel's goal will be to break the power of Hamas to carry out such large, coordinated actions against Israel. Whatever Israel decides to do, it will be very difficult. The fact that there are Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, also plays a role. If the Netanyahu government wants to get them all back, they will have to give something up too. That is the choice Israel must make now.
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