Israel’s current large-scale operation is the last one in Gaza
Generals prepare for a lower-intensity campaign against Hamas
AS ISRAEL’S OFFENSIVE in Gaza ends its tenth week there is little sign that it is lessening in intensity. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have deployed an entire airborne division in and around the southern city of Khan Younis, where it believes that senior leaders of Hamas, which on October 7th murdered 1,200 Israelis and took 240 people hostage, are now holed up. Three armoured divisions are still operating in the northern sector. Fierce fighting has been occurring in the Shujaiya and Jabalia areas of Gaza city. The IDF is destroying tunnels, where Hamas fighters take refuge, and infrastructure, both military and civilian, in the city and its outskirts. Israel’s bombardment continues: more than 18,000 Gazans, mostly civilians, have died.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The end of the beginning”
From the December 16th 2023 edition
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