The American Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Israel is moving into a more difficult phase in its war on the Gaza Strip, or specifically on the Palestinian Hamas movement that runs the Strip.
The newspaper explained, in a report published on its website, that Israel is working to shift the focus of its military campaign to southern Gaza, where it is likely to face the most difficult phase in the six-week war, while seeking to defeat Hamas and recover the hostages amid a humanitarian crisis. worsening among the population.
She added that Israeli forces largely succeeded in controlling northern Gaza, but they only destroyed part of Hamas’ military capabilities, and did not capture or kill many of its senior leaders, as senior Israeli officers and analysts say.
She added that Israeli leaders indicated a shift towards the south in recent days, claiming that many Hamas fighters fled there with the entry of Israeli forces.
She noted that Israel’s plan to attack Hamas in the south would likely resemble its advance in the north, but the matter would be complicated by the large number of civilians now crowded into the region.
The newspaper quoted American officials as saying that they are urging Israel to delay its escalating operations in the south, until it considers plans to protect civilians, who have fled there in large numbers to escape the fighting in the north.
According to the newspaper, almost all of Gaza’s population of about two million people now live in schools, refugee camps and homes in the south, and since Israel imposed a complete blockade on the Strip last October, Palestinian civilians have become increasingly desperate, with dwindling food supplies and a shortage of clean water. There was a lack of electricity, and sewage overflowed into the streets.
The newspaper suggested that Israeli warplanes will intensify their bombing of Khan Yunis and Rafah, which are densely populated urban areas in the south, which are believed to be full of Hamas tunnels, like Gaza City in the north. This will likely be followed by the advance of ground forces from multiple directions, isolating Hamas strongholds. It is slowly cleared of above ground fighters.
The newspaper concluded its report by saying that the Palestinians, who are now crammed into a smaller part of the Strip, have no effective way to leave.
