(New York Times) Isabel Kershner - For 17 days, Israeli ground troops and tanks have been on standby in the dusty fields around Gaza. Their stated mission: to invade the Palestinian coastal enclave and destroy the military capabilities of Hamas. Many Israelis have been asking what the government is waiting for. "It's a delicate balance between the advantage of letting the air force do what they do best, and how long you can delay the ground offensive," said Ehud Yaari, an Israel-based fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The more tunnels the air force destroys, he said, "the easier it will be for the forces on the ground." Beyond that, Yaari said, Israel has been using the time to expand its roster of targets in Gaza by gathering more intelligence and interrogating the scores of Hamas operatives who were captured in Israeli territory. "This is not something that can go on and on endlessly," he said.
2023-10-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive