Israel media criticises Netanyahu's ‘excessive’ optimism over Gaza ground invasion

Amos Harel, a military correspondent in Haaretz, has described the army’s ground battles in the besieged Gaza Strip as “more complex” than the picture drawn by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In his analysis of the situation published yesterday, Harel called on people “not to be drawn into the excessive optimism expressed by Israeli military and political leaders regarding the conduct of the ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip.”

He raised several questions about the military performance of the Palestinian resistance movement and “the extent of its real desire to fight at the present time,” based on the accounts of Israeli soldiers on the battlefield.

“Conversations with Israeli army commanders and those who are leading the fighting in the Gaza Strip and belong to the senior ranks of the army reveal that the picture is somewhat more complex,” he said, referring to the nature of the current military performance of resistance fighters.

“Last Monday witnessed few incidents, taking into account that Israeli army forces are encircling Gaza City, and are already active in its southern and western suburbs, so the worrying question remains is to what extent Hamas wants to fight now,” he added.

According to Harel: “The Israeli army’s happiness with the professional level of the ground forces in the second week of the ground manoeuvre in Gaza is offset by the impression that Hamas leaders do not consider the movement’s situation to be critical now.”

He explained that the fighting on Tuesday was more fierce, but there is still the impression that Hamas prefers in some places to leave its combat personnel in underground tunnels, focusing on anti-tank fire from close range and attempts to plant explosive devices in tanks and troop carriers.

“Hamas, through its current combat plan, is perhaps trying to keep most of its forces in this way,” he said, adding that the fact that Hamas rejects any real negotiations regarding the release of many hostages may indicate that its leadership does not view its situation as “critical”.

For 33 days, the Israeli army has launched an aggression against Gaza, killing more than 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women.

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