Analysts: Israel did not achieve its goals in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence and security officials said that goals of the offensive on Gaza had been achieved, but Israeli analysts do not agree with them.

Despite the superiority of the Israeli military power over the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, Israel failed to dictate a conditional conclusion of the fight, the analysts said, adding that there is still a big enemy in Gaza – Hamas.

Amos Harel, Haaretz’s military analyst, said: “Along the last week, Israel pinned its hope on the Egyptian intelligence to impose a ceasefire … but, for the first time, it was clear that it was easier for Israel to start a military operation in Gaza than ending it.”

He stated that Israel could not dictate a conditional ceasefire that ends the offensive despite its military superiority. “It was very clear that Israel would not have gained much if the operation continued,” he said.

At the same time, he said: “The key of the ceasefire was not in Israel’s hands. The Islamic Jihad might have learned lessons from previous rounds – to continue the fight as long as possible.”

Former head of the Israeli National Security Council, Giora Eiland, compared, in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, between two types of Israeli military operations.

The first, he said, has a limited goal, which is preserving the status quo, and the other, he added, is to change the whole situation, stating that the offensive on Gaza is of the first type.

“The success of the Islamic Jihad lies in the expansion of the battle while half of the nation is in the shelters,” Eiland said, noting that “this is another achievement for the Islamic Jihad”.

A military analyst from the Israel Public Broadcaster said that Hamas, the strong ruling party in Gaza, continues accumulating its power and military abilities to use against Israel in the future, stating that the military offensive ended with a “temporary victory”.

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