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Israel Weighed Going to War in Gaza
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - At the meeting of Israel's Security Cabinet and in other security discussions this week, the IDF raised three options: refraining from any response, dealing Hamas a blow the army termed "significant," or launching another version of the 2014 Gaza war. The IDF recommended the middle option, which it deemed proportionate. Some ministers asked why the army hadn't assassinated senior Hamas officials. The answer lies in the fact that as soon as the latest round of fighting began, Hamas leaders went underground, so the element of surprise was lost. Some suggested it was possible to wage a lengthy campaign from afar without sending ground forces into Gaza. But IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot believes the Palestinians would escalate by firing on the Tel Aviv area. At that point, either Israel would occupy Gaza, or it would stop the fighting after a few weeks - at which point the negotiations with Hamas would resume exactly where they left off.