Israel wants Hamas to take a simple message from the ground invasion of Gaza that began on Saturday: We're coming for you, and we'll stay as long as it takes.
The campaign "won't be easy," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "It won't be short. I don't want to delude anyone."
He underscored his message by ordering the mobilization of tens of thousands of reserve troops. The purpose of Operation Cast Lead remains a durable cease-fire that ends rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, but Israeli officials believe that to reach such an agreement, Hamas must be pummeled onto the ropes, its leaders forced to seek a truce to ensure its survival and continued political control over Gaza.
The ground operation began late Saturday with a massive artillery barrage all along the Gaza boundary, designed not only to destroy whatever fortifications Hamas fighters have built, but to signal that Israel has once again broken its own restraints on military action in Gaza, willing to go hard against the Hamas leadership no matter where they are and no matter the consequences to security along Israel's own southwestern frontier.
Already in recent days, Israeli forces struck a house of a Hamas leader while civilians were inside and bombed a mosque at Beit Lahiya believed by Israel to have been used to store weapons. With both of these actions, Israel is deliberately cultivating a sense that it has changed the rules of engagement in order to cripple Hamas.
Despite the methodical approach and careful planning of the Israeli operation, its commanders do not expect their forces to return unscathed. They're particularly concerned to avoid scenarios that can yield important propaganda victories to Hamas, such as the capture of any Israeli soldiers or recorded images of a burning Israeli tank or armored personnel carrier.
Source: TIME NEWS