By focusing on missile strikes instead of ground operations, Israel is seeking “to push Hamas to show more flexibility,” said Michael Milstein, an Israeli analyst of Palestinian affairs and a former senior officer in Israeli military intelligence.
“Personally I don’t think it’s likely Hamas will be ready to give up their red lines,” Mr. Milstein said. “I’m quite concerned that within a few days we will find ourselves in a limited war of attrition: ongoing airstrikes but no readiness from Hamas to give up.”
Six hours after the bombardment began, Hamas still had not fired back — either because its military capabilities were so degraded during the earlier phases of the war, or because it sought to avoid a stronger response from Israel.
But it showed no public signs of backing down in the negotiations. In a statement, Hamas condemned the strikes, saying that Israel had condemned the remaining hostages in Gaza to an “unknown fate” and calling for it to be held “fully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement.”
Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said in a statement that Israel’s goal was “to destroy Hamas,” expressing hope that the new attacks would evolve into an operation “completely different to what has been done so far.”
But in its official statement announcing the resumption of heavy military action, the Israeli government was more cautious. It avoided any mention of how long the operation would last, or whether it would include the kind of ground invasion required to force Hamas from power. By mid-morning, the Israeli military ordered Palestinian civilians to leave two areas close to the Israel-Gaza border, but it again stopped short of saying that it was deploying troops and tanks there.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.
