Hamas's attack marked the start of Netanyahu's demise

Israel's military operations against Gaza City have begun, accompanied by protests in Israeli cities and widespread international condemnation.

- MARY DEJEVSKY

Envisaged as the last stage in Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas as the force responsible for the 7 October attacks, the ground offensive is as high-risk as any of the previous Gaza assaults by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) – and one of the most contentious.

The security cabinet took the best part of a day to sign off on it two weeks ago, with senior military figures publicly voicing misgivings. Ongoing street protests swelled: against the perils of the operation itself, against the call-up of 60,000 reservists (with highly unusual appeals from some for recruits to refuse the call-up), and fears that this new operation in Gaza will make the return of Israel's remaining hostages, of whom 20 may still be alive, an even more remote prospect than it already is.

Negotiations for a new ceasefire and possible hostage releases have been resumed with Qatar and Egypt, but with Israel's position being that any ceasefire is conditional on the return of all hostages, and previous rounds of talks having failed, there can be little confidence in success. Meanwhile, the enforced evacuation of more than a million people from Gaza City into the rest of the devastated Strip is in progress.