\n<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s overnight attacks on Gaza stopped short of an immediate ground invasion, suggesting that its leaders may be waiting to gauge Hamas\u2019s reaction before returning to a full-scale ground war, analysts said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Israeli strikes, which health officials said killed more than 250 people, followed weeks of fruitless negotiations on an extension to the country\u2019s truce with Hamas. The talks stalled after Israel pushed Hamas to release significant numbers of hostages, a move that Hamas was unwilling to make without assurances that Israel would allow it to remain in power in Gaza after the war ends.<\/p>\n
The nature of Israel\u2019s strikes on Tuesday morning suggested that its leadership was trying to force Hamas to compromise in those talks, a deadly and risky tactic that could still lead to full-scale war, analysts said.<\/p>\n
By focusing on missile strikes instead of ground operations, Israel is seeking \u201cto push Hamas to show more flexibility,\u201d said Michael Milstein, an Israeli analyst of Palestinian affairs and a former senior officer in Israeli military intelligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally I don\u2019t think it\u2019s likely Hamas will be ready to give up their red lines,\u201d Mr. Milstein said. \u201cI\u2019m quite concerned that within a few days we will find ourselves in a limited war of attrition: ongoing airstrikes but no readiness from Hamas to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six hours after the bombardment began, Hamas still had not fired back \u2014 either because its military capabilities were so degraded during the earlier phases of the war, or because it sought to avoid a stronger response from Israel.<\/p>\n
But it showed no public signs of backing down in the negotiations. In a statement, Hamas condemned the strikes, saying that Israel had condemned the remaining hostages in Gaza to an \u201cunknown fate\u201d and calling for it to be held \u201cfully responsible for violating and overturning the agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said in a statement that Israel\u2019s goal was \u201cto destroy Hamas,\u201d expressing hope that the new attacks would evolve into an operation \u201ccompletely different to what has been done so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in its official statement announcing the resumption of heavy military action, the Israeli government was more cautious. It avoided any mention of how long the operation would last, or whether it would include the kind of ground invasion required to force Hamas from power. By mid-morning, the Israeli military ordered Palestinian civilians to leave two areas close to the Israel-Gaza border, but it again stopped short of saying that it was deploying troops and tanks there.<\/p>\n
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n