Israel seeks an unprecedented offensive on Gaza: "They will occupy the Strip and hunt down Hamas leaders wherever they are"

Israel does not forgive. It has demonstrated this throughout 75 years of conflict and this latest episode will not be the exception.. The Hamas attacks last Saturday will have a response like never before seen. Or at least this has been recognized by its Government, whose military leaders have reiterated on several occasions that the Gaza Strip will not return to what it was.. The massive bombings that have left a desolate landscape in the Palestinian enclave are now followed by a ground offensive in which the civilian population will be affected once again. This Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu's Executive has given the population of northern Gaza 24 hours to leave the area, an impossible task in such a short time, in the words of the UN itself.. Despite this, the offensive will not stop.

More than thirty battalions and 300,000 reservists have been mobilized and made ready to act whenever the Israeli Government orders it.. “They are ready to enter the Gaza Strip,” said Army spokesperson Roni Kaplan.. Israel has asked Gazans to move to the Wadi Gaza area, south of the enclave, insisting that they will only be able to return when another announcement allows it.. Nearly 1.1 million people are seeking refuge from the start of the Israeli military occupation of the Strip.

A ground offensive supported from the air

The superiority of the Israeli Army over Hamas is increased by the enclosure of the Palestinian enclave. The Gaza Strip has a maritime façade that can be blocked by the Israeli Navy, in such a way that neither ships nor boats can enter or leave.. On the other hand, the extreme south has a land border with Egypt, permanently closed to the transit of people.. Finally, both to the north of Gaza (about 10 km wide) and to the east (40 kilometers long) are the land borders with the Hebrew State, where the military offensive could enter relatively easily with air support.

Lieutenant General Gan Pampols assures 20 minutes that one of the first steps of this Israeli operation will be to clear the infrastructure, tunnels and all the warehouses that Hamas has.. “Israel will choose areas where it can begin a penetration with heavy units, protected to avoid casualties as much as possible,” he says, although he adds that to do this they will first have to ensure that it is clean of mines, explosive traps or IEDs (devices). improvised explosives).

According to Pampols, this will be complemented by ground and air fire support, in order to create an area between Israel and Gaza “of variable depth”, which could be a couple of kilometers, in which there is absolutely nothing.

Despite the difference between both contenders and the difficulty that Hamas could have in resisting, the lieutenant general warns that advancing does not mean that they can keep the ground occupied. “Hamas very effectively uses a vast network of tunnels that in certain areas cross underneath and enter Israeli territory.”. It is what they sometimes use for infiltrations and, above all, it is what they are using now to protect themselves, because Hamas at this moment is not on the surface, but is either outside Gaza itself or underground,” explains Gan. Pampols, who considers that these tunnels will also be an element to take into account for the Israelis.

Netanyahu has already made it clear that his goal is to eliminate all Hamas militants and to do so he considers this offensive essential.. “Israel is going to occupy the Gaza Strip and then go after Hamas personnel and leaders.”. They are going to dedicate themselves to hunting them wherever they are,” says the lieutenant general. Although there is speculation that Hamas leader Ismail Haniya is in Qatar and that others could be in Lebanon or Iran, “Israel has already shown throughout history that when it sets a goal it ends up achieving it.”

An express humanitarian corridor?

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians have already abandoned their homes in northern Gaza in response to Israel's ultimatum. Palestinian media have confirmed the massive displacements, while images of Palestinians fleeing their homes arrive.. A large part of the displaced people are being distributed between schools of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and the homes of relatives or acquaintances in the southern area.

For Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Morato, one of the most worrying aspects of this offensive is that an Army is facing off against an armed organization that, despite being prepared, does not use fields or points that could be militarily critical, so “they will attack areas highly populated in which the consequences for the civilian population will be important”. “There is no human way to be selective. From a military point of view it is not possible to be surgical in the attack on Gaza. The population is going to be massacred,” explains the lieutenant colonel.

Despite the ultimatum, the truth is that in these days of conflict no humanitarian corridor has been established. “Not only would the corridor have to be determined physically, but also sufficient means to exit would have to be provided,” says Lieutenant Colonel. According to local media, Hamas has accused Israel of “creating confusion among citizens and damaging the cohesion of the internal front,” and urged it to “ignore the occupation's attempts within the scope of psychological warfare.” Additionally, a Hamas spokesperson denied to Fox News that its forces are preventing civilians from leaving their homes.

Both Israel and Egypt have refused to receive Palestinians. In the case of the latter, it has agreed to send humanitarian aid, but not refugees.. “A humanitarian corridor is an area where there are no fires. A No Fire Lines is painted and within that line the exit movement of certain groups is allowed,” says Gan Pampols.. Regarding the possibility that Hamas militiamen also leave, he assures that in these corridors “filters are created so that no one leaves with weapons and without identification.”

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an “immediate” ceasefire and has warned in the face of the Israeli ultimatum that there is “nowhere safe” to which they can flee.. “The number of dead boys and girls in Gaza increases every hour,” lamented a spokesman for the agency, James Elder, who has also called for the immediate release of minors held hostage by Palestinian militants.

Spanish soldiers between Hezbollah and Israel

While the Gaza Strip prepares for the offensive, a new front has opened in northern Israel. Bombings between the paramilitary group Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, and Israeli troops threaten to destabilize the area. In this region, a Spanish contingent leads the United Nations mission to maintain peace on the border: UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon).

Although there has been speculation about an intervention by Hezbollah (financed by Iran) in the current conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, military experts consulted by this newspaper believe it is unlikely that the conflict will escalate to Lebanon at the moment. In any case, the UNIFIL mission would not intervene in the conflict, since it is a peacekeeping force, not an imposition force. Therefore, the Spanish troops would not enter into combat under any circumstances and if a war started in this region this mission could even end and withdraw.