Roov Koret
All of Israel hopes that the deal to release 50 or more children and women from Palestinian captivity will go through successfully. They accept the need to pause the strong momentum of successful action by the Israel Defense Forces, which has swept northern Gaza of many seemingly unsurmountable terror threats of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terror groups.
The accomplishments in a month and a half of fighting are many:
- A dramatic reduction in rocket attacks launched against Israel
- Removal of the infrastructure used to launch attacks against Israeli communities
- Destruction of dozens of terror tunnels and shafts used by the terrorists
- Leveling of hundreds of command posts, buildings, and weapons storage places
- Revelation of the forbidden use of hospitals, mosques, schools and “human shields”
- Elimination of thousands of terrorists and Islamic fighters
- Liberation of ordinary Palestinians from the grip of Hamas tyranny
These achievements are now at risk. In the coming days, Hamas and its allies will do everything in their power to stop Israel from achieving its war aim: to wipe it out as a functioning government in Gaza.
Analysts here are warning of a looming and imminent threat: that Hamas will exploit the fighting lull not just to recover and prepare more traps and attacks on our soldiers, but to inspire the masses of Islamic faithful to pour from their mosques on Friday to move north en masse to confront Israeli soldiers who are committed to not fighting in order to maintain the humanitarian pause that allows the hostage release to go forward.
When tens of thousands of Palestinians march north, what will the IDF do? They cannot allow the mobs to overrun their static positions. They cannot operate drones or helicopters to rebuff the crowds. Will they have non-lethal methods like tear gas or pressurized water to push back the masses?
It will all be set against the backdrop of the ruins of Gaza, devastated by IDF bombs, artillery and house to house, tunnel to tunnel combat. Masses of stone-throwing, sling-swinging, and knife-wielding Palestinians could attempt to overrun Israeli stationary positions. The media will be in place to record it all.
It will not be pretty.
It is in the interest of Hamas to make it look as bad as possible, in the hope of creating incidents that will invite international pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire, thwarting its war goals and leaving its hostages in Hamas hands.
It all could transpire tomorrow, or in the coming days. Even as women and children start to trickle out of the monstrous grip of Hamas, and Israel focuses on their return, the IDF may face a lethal and fatal dilemma. Israel had better be ready.
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