Unless there is a very surprising and significant change, the IDF is soon going to embark on a ground operation defined by military sources as "aggressive" and even "very aggressive" – a proper response to those who murdered children.
The decision regarding the timing and nature of the operation will certainly not be disclosed through the media, but the operation will be launched in accordance with operational considerations, the ongoing effort to evacuate the population, humanitarian pressure, the need to carry out the operation from the air, and weather conditions.
In the IDF, and justifiably so, they talk about the need not to end this war without eliminating the threat, as it is a war that is no less than a matter of our existence and future here in the State of Israel, just like in 1948.
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In the past few years, the IDF has often debated the concept of "victory" and what that "victory" means, but now the military is speaking in clear terms about the need to end the war in Gaza in a way that leaves no doubt as to who wins, involving a ground operation targeting the heart of Hamas rule and operational elements in Gaza. Those who kidnapped a child and shot him in the head, the IDF says, will not be able to continue living in the Middle East.
IDF contingency plans are devised well in advance, but even the most extreme scenarios had never envisioned a ground operation the likes of which we are about to see. But in the wake of the horrific attacks, the IDF adjusted its operational plans to suit the objective presented by the civilian echelon – removing the threat from the south and fundamentally changing the reality.
Video: Day 6 of Hamas and Israel at war // Reuters
The IDF has already mobilized 300,000 reserve soldiers, some of whom complain about equipment shortages. The top brass have acknowledged that there are places where equipment is indeed lacking and there are shortcomings. The military points out that expectations need to match the unfolding reality, noting that there was never a scenario envisioned in which all soldiers would have ceramic body armor, but only for those who are engaged in constant maneuvers and that not all reserve forces will have night vision equipment.
If after previous operations there was sharp criticism of the combat means used by the IDF, such as obsolete armored personnel carriers, this time the military emphasizes that this is an existential war, and we fight with what we have – "even with a stick and a nail."
The feeling at the top of the IDF is that despite these gaps, the IDF is a strong and professional military, and victory in the war will not be achieved through tanks or planes, but only thanks to the fighting spirit of the soldiers and the commanders. Some of them even said in recent days that they are willing to return with half a battalion, as long as they achieve the result because what was done to us last Saturday is not acceptable.
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