Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that the “intensive phase” of the Israeli ground offensive in north Gaza has ended and that it would soon end in the south as well.
“In the northern part of the Strip, this phase has ended. In southern Gaza, we will reach this achievement and [the intensive phase] will end soon,” Gallant said at a press conference.
He gave no indication of a timeline for when Israel would reduce its operations in southern Gaza, where most of the enclave’s Palestinians are located after many were pushed out of the north. When Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently visited Israel, Gallant told him that Israel would “intensify” operations in the southern city of Khan Younis.
The US has been asking Israel to reduce the intensity of its onslaught in Gaza, which has killed over 24,000 Palestinians. But the US has not put any pressure on Israel as it has continued to provide unconditional military aid for the slaughter.
One US official told The Washington Post that there was no point in the US asking Israel to change its tactics before February. The report reads: “One senior US official said it is pointless to urge them to change, and that Washington’s priority has now shifted to tolerating Israel’s high-intensity operation throughout January, while insisting instead that it downgrade the tempo in February.”
Gallant said on Monday that Israel would “adapt our operations on the ground in accordance with the reality on the ground, as it becomes clearer to us, in accordance with military achievements, with the destruction of the enemy, and in accordance with our intelligence.”
He claimed that in north Gaza, Israel had dismantled Hamas “battalion frameworks” and that Israeli forces were now focusing on “working to eliminate pockets of resistance. We will achieve this via raids, airstrikes, special operations, and additional activities.”
Israeli ground troops have faced stiff resistance from Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. The Israeli military has so far confirmed 188 of its troops killed fighting on the ground in Gaza, but Israeli media reports say at least 4,000 troops have been disabled.
““In the northern part of the Strip, this phase has ended. In southern Gaza, we will reach this achievement and [the intensive phase] will end soon,” Gallant said at a press conference.”
Worst in-game achievement ever.
In other words, “we couldn’t find anything else to bomb into rubble.”
alternative: “We’re waiting for our next shipment from our poodle in DC.”
I think they’ve realized that they can’t actually defeat Hamas on the ground in Gaza, or even come close, and Israel has no appetite for the levels of casualties they must certainly be taking.
Also, they need to get all those IDF reservists back to their civilian jobs so the economy doesn’t collapse.
… or threats/bribes at ICF judges have proved unsuccessful so far, … or have required in addition to the bribe a little PR for cover.
In an interview of Norman Finkelstein by Chris Hedges in October, Professor Finkelstein made the same case, that the IDF foot soldiers are no match for fighters on the ground. Israeli media is keeping silent on the real numbers of Israeli soldiers dead, amputees, otherwise maimed. The real wild card is if Hezbollah gets really involved with its rockets, damages airfields so as to curtail bombing missions, or, hopefully not, hitting crucial areas in and around Tel Aviv, such as the chlorine or bleach plants. This was posted in another article in antiwar.com:”One US official told The Washington Post that there was no point in the US asking Israel to change its tactics before February. The report reads: “One senior US official said it is pointless to urge them to change, and that Washington’s priority has now shifted to tolerating Israel’s high-intensity operation throughout January, while insisting instead that it downgrade the tempo in February.”
If the danger to Israel or the casualty count increases beyond a manageable point,rest assured nukes will fly and capital cities of countries responsible will be slagged.
This was obvious last week when they pulled out 5 brigades. It’s always hard to make predictions in the fog of war, but it looks like Mearsheimer was right when he predicted that Israel would not be able to beat Hamas on the ground. Several other informed commentators made this prediction as well and it seems to be coming true.
There is a great interview with the son of a former general in the IDF by Chris Hedges. It is apparent that the rank and file, and even the elite IDF soldiers are great at detaining, beating, shooting, torturing Palestinians, but in the role of combat soldiers, just a little lacking. From Scheerpost: https://scheerpost.com/2024/01/15/the-idfs-war-crimes-are-a-perfect-reflection-of-israeli-society/
I suggest you join up somewhere,and participate in fighting urban guerrillas Hamas foot soldiers are well trained fanatics who worship death,using civilians as human shields versus a citizen army of relatively older reservists.
In other words, they are ready to let starvation, disease, and exposure take over. Such humanitarians! No wonder Israelis are God’s Chosen people. According to them. And the hordes of Christian Zionists with the combined IQ of tapioca.
“One US official told The Washington Post that there was no point in the US asking Israel to change its tactics before February. The report reads: “One senior US official said it is pointless to urge them to change, and that Washington’s priority has now shifted to tolerating Israel’s high-intensity operation throughout January, while insisting instead that it downgrade the tempo in February.” antiwar.com
The term “chosen people is obsolete,and you know it.By the way,show me any ethnic group that does not think they are special.
“One US official told The Washington Post that there was no point in the US asking Israel to change its tactics before February. The report reads: “One senior US official said it is pointless to urge them to change, and that Washington’s priority has now shifted to tolerating Israel’s high-intensity operation throughout January, while insisting instead that it downgrade the tempo in February.”” I am telling you, as long as Biden feeds the monsters their bombs, targeting, Biden is making a case for him to be dragged before the Hague.
If Hamas were to free all the hostages,it would take a good deal of steam out of Israel’s just and determined ire. Hamas will play its cat and mouse game.
Are the Israelis going to release all the Palestinian hostages rotting in Israeli jails? Arguably, the Israelis are also holding the whole population of Gaza hostage, and they have been for decades.
The Palestinians are also full just and determined ire.
Another words, we got defeated by Hamas in North Gaza…!
What’s the ICJ waiting for? every minute thousands are dying!
They’re a court, not a fast food drive through window.
You can be flippant, not living in Gaza.
“”They’re a court, not a fast food drive through window””
really. and yet they carry with themselves the all-mighty “check-me-out” BS that every other dim-wit religion on the planet would be ridiculed for.
wait, WHAT ?
The best way to avert WAR is by utilizing PEACE.
may prestage a switch to the Northernfront.
Israeli Defense Minister: ‘Intensive Phase’ of Ground Offensive in North Gaza Is Over – We Lost