What Will Be The Endgame?

The easy part for Israel is to eliminate Hamas, but can the military kill the idea of freedom?

- Seema Guha

PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas from the face of the earth, following the surprise attack that killed nearly 1,600 people in one of the most brutal assaults against Israel since that country was founded. Israel has flattened out much of Gaza and continues to do so, as it prepares to launch a full-scale ground offensive.

At the time of writing, the Israeli army, while conducting a few night raids inside the Gaza Strip, had not started the ground war. Though Israel is determined to do so, the military knows that the task will not be easy. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said the operation could take up to three months. US generals and strategists have warned Israel to learn from America’s mistakes after 9/11. Both Afghanistan and Iraq were destroyed. The civil war in Iraq led to the birth of ISIS, one of the most brutal terrorist groups the world has seen. Israel needs to think through its tactics before embarking on a dangerous ground invasion and be prepared to take heavy casualties.

Retired US General David Petraeus, who commanded USA’s wars in both in Iraq and Afghanistan, warned Israel of the danger of a ground assault inside the Gaza Strip. “This is going to be a very, very tough fight,” he told CBS News. “I almost can’t imagine a more challenging contextual set of circumstances here than what they face.” He went on to say: “There are tunnels; there will be rooms that will have improvised explosive devices.” “You have to clear every building, every floor, every room, every basement, every tunnel. Civilian losses are inevitable, and tough Israeli losses lie ahead as well.”