{"id":52687,"date":"2025-09-21T17:26:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T21:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/the-idfs-invasion-of-gaza-unlikely-to-achieve-war-goals-return-hostages\/21\/09\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T17:26:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T21:26:45","slug":"the-idfs-invasion-of-gaza-unlikely-to-achieve-war-goals-return-hostages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/the-idfs-invasion-of-gaza-unlikely-to-achieve-war-goals-return-hostages\/21\/09\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The IDF’s invasion of Gaza unlikely to achieve war goals, return hostages"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Without honing in on the hostages and on Hamas\u2019s hidden fighters in Gaza City, the IDF controlling more land is unlikely to achieve strategic goals.<\/p>\n

There is a built-in dilemma that seems to be hampering the current Gaza City invasion<\/a>, just as it circumscribed the impact of prior invasions.<\/p>\n

In March, Israel hoped that a new strategy of conquering territory in Gaza would cause stress to Hamas more than \u201conly\u201d having beaten its 24 battalions with the penetrate-and-withdraw strategy it had used during the war up to that point.<\/p>\n

Also, Israel hoped more of Hamas\u2019s top leaders who weren\u2019t yet dead \u2013 not many are left \u2013 would want to live more than their predecessors, which is what happened with Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

It has not worked out that way, and the same problems Israel has encountered since March are likely to plague the latest Gaza City invasion, which started last week.<\/p>\n

It turned out that even once Israel started to take over much of Gaza\u2019s territory \u2013 which emasculated Hamas in many ways to the extent it wanted to present itself as ruling the Strip \u2013 Hamas\u2019s leaders knew that as long as Israel wouldn\u2019t endanger the 20 living hostages<\/a>, they retained their leverage.<\/p>\n

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