SAEDNEWS: Israel has launched a major ground offensive in Gaza City, risking international isolation and devastating consequences for civilians. While Netanyahu insists it will defeat Hamas, critics argue it may only deepen the conflict.
Israel launched its long-anticipated ground offensive into Gaza City yesterday, a move framed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as essential to defeating Hamas once and for all. Yet critics — including senior Israeli military officials and much of the international community — warn the invasion could end in disaster, both for Palestinians and Israel’s global standing.
Palestinians fleeing Gaza City
For Netanyahu, the Gaza City assault is presented as a decisive strike: the step that will finally dismantle Hamas’s remaining strongholds. But as Patrick Kingsley of The Times notes, the plan risks repeating the same “strategic dead-end” of previous operations — with Hamas surviving, hostages still in captivity, and Palestinian civilians enduring unimaginable suffering.
The decision has also deepened Netanyahu’s domestic challenges. Nearly two-thirds of Israelis say they prefer a negotiated deal to secure hostage releases, rather than a prolonged ground war. Critics accuse Netanyahu of prioritizing political survival, catering to far-right coalition partners to maintain his grip on power.
For Palestinians in Gaza City, the offensive marks another chapter in a devastating cycle. Nearly all residents have been displaced at least once since the conflict escalated nearly two years ago. Many say they cannot flee again — financially or emotionally.
One professor told reporters: “We know if we leave, we will never return.”
In September, the Israeli military ordered all civilians to evacuate south. About 350,000 people fled, but thousands remain trapped, unwilling or unable to move. Aid groups warn that the offensive will only intensify the humanitarian catastrophe, with food shortages, bombardments, and mass displacement worsening by the day.
Despite staggering losses — tens of thousands killed, according to local health officials — Hamas has not surrendered. Nor has it freed remaining Israeli hostages. Palestinian analysts say the group’s leaders believe survival itself constitutes victory. By holding out, they hope to pressure Israel into an agreement that avoids total capitulation.
This strategy, however, ensures the suffering of civilians continues. Analysts warn that Hamas is effectively gambling with Palestinian lives, betting that global outrage over Israel’s actions will eventually force concessions.
The Gaza City offensive has triggered harsh criticism abroad. Human rights organizations accuse Israel of war crimes, a charge the government denies. Yesterday, a U.N. commission escalated the rhetoric, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.
Such declarations further isolate Israel, particularly as some Western allies express frustration at Netanyahu’s rejection of cease-fire proposals. Diplomats caution that the longer the offensive drags on, the more Israel risks eroding vital international support.
A demonstration demanding the release of hostages in Jerusalem
The timeline of Israel’s Gaza City operation remains unclear. Some analysts predict weeks of fighting; others suggest the campaign could drag on indefinitely.
For Palestinians, the costs are immediate and existential — hunger, displacement, and death. For Israelis, the war raises urgent questions about strategy, leadership, and morality. And for the international community, the offensive crystallizes a dilemma: how to support Israel’s security without condoning actions many view as indiscriminate and unlawful.
As the situation unfolds, one truth remains: Gaza City has become the epicenter of a conflict that shows no sign of ending, and its people are bearing the heaviest burden.
