Israel moves to tougher phase of Gaza war – WSJ

Israel is shifting the focus of its military operations to the southern Gaza Strip. The country is facing a difficult stage in the war, which has been going on for six weeks.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In particular, the publication notes that the country's goal is to defeat Hamas and free hostages in the face of a deepening humanitarian crisis.

It is reported that Israeli troops have mostly managed to take control of the northern part of Gaza.

However, high-ranking Israeli officers and analysts believe that they have only partially destroyed Hamas's military capabilities and have not achieved the complete capture and elimination of its top leadership.

In particular, journalists argue that in the south, the militants are likely to be more resilient in their resistance, as their options are limited and they have only one way to continue fighting.

"Hostages are the best leverage that Hamas leaders have to survive Israel's move south, as the militants seek to end hostilities, at least temporarily," the interlocutors added.

The journalists also found out that the actions of Israeli troops in the southern part of the Gaza Strip will become more difficult due to the large number of civilians living there.

As a reminder, in early October, Hamas militants launched a large-scale invasion of Israel. They killed and abducted both military and civilians. In response, Israel launched a military operation against the militants called Iron Swords.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 20/11/2023