Israel’s ‘second stage’ ground operation is proof its priorities have changed | Bilal Saab

The IDF's strategy within Gaza is becoming more targeted than expected, suggesting Netanyahu is responding to US pressure

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared over the weekend that Israel had embarked on the second stage" of its war against Hamas in Gaza. What did he mean - and is the Israeli government any closer to its objective of wiping out" Hamas?

While the desire to destroy Hamas is still present, I believe that the goalposts have moved. A combination of American pressure and an Israeli recognition of the operational complexity of a fully fledged ground invasion has pushed the government to narrow its set of objectives, perhaps making them more achievable.

Bilal Y Saab is an associate fellow with Chatham House and senior fellow and director of the Defence and Security Programme at the Middle East Institute

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