The opinion of the IDF — from the top military leadership to the ordinary soldiers — is almost unanimous: only a ground operation in the Gaza Strip (what in army parlance is called a “ground maneuver”) is capable of destroying Hamas. There’s no solution to this by launching just air attacks, although of course they weaken and exhaust the enemy.
This understanding and desire to defeat Hamas is shared by everyone: regular army fighters, reservists, commanders, security operatives. This opinion has now united people from the right and the left — it is time to enter the monster’s lair and destroy it.
This is also the position of the military command — it is necessary to bring ground troops into the sector, because this is the only guaranteed way to eliminate the Hamas infrastructure, to kill the terrorist leaders hiding underground, to destroy the missile systems, in other words, actually annihilate the enemy.
The Chief of the General Staff said yesterday, “We will destroy Hamas — its military capabilities, operational infrastructures and chains of command. We are already ready for the maneuver in the south and we are prepared properly, and while there is time, we continue to prepare even better.”
In any case, we will once again recall and emphasize the words of the Lubavitcher Rebbe SHLITA King Moshiach: “We should not put our fighters, even one, at unnecessary risk! Before entering into every enemy settlement, we must warn its inhabitants. Then those of them who do not want to be harmed must get out of there. Those who remain are personally responsible for the consequences. After the warning, the settlement should be destroyed by shelling and bombing, without our fighters being exposed to danger.”
In other words, we must not expose our fighters to danger in so-called “battles in populated areas”; the buildings must be completely destroyed, and only then it is possible to send soldiers there.
Of course, the same should be said about the Hamas tunnel network, which our army calls the “subway”. All of this enemy infrastructure has to be destroyed and blown up with all those who will not surrender and come out themselves.
It is possible that this can be done by filling them with water or sewage, as Egypt did when it fought the smugglers’ tunnels between Sinai and the Gaza Strip. Maybe they could be filled with gas ( choking the terrorists in the process) and then blown up.
I am convinced that the Army has different options on how to eliminate the tunnels. The main thing is to put our fighters in the least possible danger.
Once upon a time, Benny Gantz, who now sits in the government, bragged about risking the lives of our soldiers for the safety of the “civilians” in Gaza. That must no longer be the case! The merciless villains from the towns and villages of the Strip who followed Hamas fighters into our towns and villages to kill, injure, rape, rob and burn Jews have committed unimaginable atrocities that even ISIS terrorists have not committed! They made their choice and are now collectively responsible, so even one hair on the head of any of our fighters is more precious than all these villains combined.
Let’s hope the Prime Minister manages to put Gantz and Eisenkot in their place and minimize the risk to our fighters — at the cost of the residents of the sector who will not leave the clearing areas on their own. “Erase the memory of Amalek — don’t forget!”