By Zain Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) - An Israeli political analyst doubted the possibility of achieving victory in the Gaza Strip, and stressed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk about a long-term war “is a marketing alternative to a victory that does not exist.”
“The progress allows for more intensive treatment of the tunnels and the Hamas members who guard them, but it also includes difficult battles with the militants,” Nahum Barnea said Saturday in an article in the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, referring to the Israeli ground operation in Gaza.
“Hamas has prepared for this battle,” he said. “It is true that it has lost many of its warriors and leaders, but it continues to fight.”
“The backbone of the Supreme Command, headed by Yahya Sinwar, is still working," he said.
“The next few days may be the final and decisive stage in both efforts, the battle against Hamas and the American-Qatari attempt to reach a deal to release the hostages,” said Barnea. “After this period, it is doubtful that Israel will be able to withstand American pressure to a ceasefire, especially if a hostage deal is on the table.”
Barnea said: “It is uncertain that the Israeli army will be able to reach Sinwar and his colleagues in the current war,” adding that “even if they are eliminated, Hamas will not disappear.”
He pointed out that "the votes that US President Joe Biden is losing in his country exacerbate his need for an imminent ceasefire in Gaza."
“Unfortunately, there is no expected victory on the horizon when it comes to the ground war,” he said.
“We need to view every person who is released alive from Gaza as a victory,” he said.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi