AGAINST THE CLOCK

Newsweek has exclusive insight from the Israeli army as it is running out of time for its Gaza offensive to defeat Hamas and bring hostages home

- TOM O'CONNOR

AS ISRAEL WAGES WHAT ITS GOVernment says will be a protracted conflict to defeat Hamas and bring home hostages held in the Gaza Strip, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official tells Newsweek exclusively that the scope and length of the campaign is being influenced by growing internal and external pressure.

The comments give unique insight into the likely remaining time frame for a conflict that has dominated global headlines since Hamas launched an unprecedentedly bloody raid of killing and kidnapping in Israel on October 7.

Both the pressure to bring the hostages home quickly and the difficulty of operating in Gaza were thrown into sharp relief on December 15, when the Israeli army said it had mistakenly killed three hostages after erroneously identifying them as a threat.

The war has drawn battle lines around the globe, from the United Nations to social media and college campuses, and has prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is under growing political pressure over his strong support for Israel as backers of a ceasefire call for an end to the Palestinian death toll in Gaza amid a stream of harrowing images of dead children in the rubble.

The IDF official, who spoke to Newsweek on the condition of anonymity, says the timetable for achieving the two operational goals of defeating Hamas and bringing home the hostages could be looked at through "different clocks" that are influencing the course of the ongoing campaign.

"We understand that there are a lot of different clocks that have impact on this and how fast we can go, and in kinetic ways [as well]," the IDF official says. "Can we strike extensively, which reduces some of the other clocks because it makes them go faster because of the international pressure that can come with that?