39-day war, 18 days of full-scale ground combat
White House virtually approves military leadership dismantling completion
Israeli raid on Al Shifa Hospital, suspected by Israel to be a Hamas military headquarters / AFP=Yonhap News
The war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas is likely to reach a critical point as forces infiltrate Al Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military has long identified this hospital as a Hamas military headquarters, indicating that ground military operations have reached their peak.
On the 15th (local time), the Israeli military announced that they were conducting operations by raiding Al Shifa Hospital, located in the northern Gaza Strip’s Remal district.
The Duration of the Conflict: 39 Days of Ongoing War
This comes 39 days after the war began with Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on the 7th of last month and 18 days since Israel declared ‘Stage 2 of the war’, intensifying ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military has consistently emphasized the need to seize Al Shifa Hospital, viewing it as the last stronghold of the Hamas military organization.
Critics claim that Hamas exploits strict international humanitarian law regulations against attacks on medical facilities by operating secret underground operations facilities.
Israel has continued to put pressure on Hamas through blockades and bombings, arguing that Hamas is resisting by relying on materials and power necessary for hospital operations.
White House’s Position: Approval of Israeli Military Action
As soon as the White House appeared to approve the action publicly, combatants headed to Al Shifa Hospital.
John Kirby, the White House National Security Council’s (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator, said that day, “Hamas is using Al Shifa Hospital as a military operation base.”
He pointed out, “Hamas is storing weapons and preparing to respond to attacks by the Israeli military,” and “Such actions constitute war crimes.”
International humanitarian law related to armed conflict allows attacks on a hospital when it is clearly used for military purposes beyond medical services.
In this context, analysts interpret the White House’s position statement on the day as fundamentally approving the Israeli military’s attack on Al Shifa Hospital.
However, the White House emphasized minimizing civilian casualties, and the Israeli military is responding to the recommendation by launching a ‘precision targeting operation.’
Reports also indicate that the Israeli military warned the hospital in advance of starting military operations.
A doctor at Al Shifa Hospital told CNN that the Israeli military warned them 30 minutes before the operation began.
Depending on the results of this operation by the Israeli military, the war in the Gaza Strip could enter a different phase.
Israeli military capturing all Hamas governance infrastructure / Jerusalem Post website
Israel’s Original Goals in the War: Dismantling Militant Infrastructure
The original goal of this war put forth by Israel was to completely dismantle Hamas’s military organization and governance capacity (political organization).
Considering the announcements of the Israeli and U.S. governments, observers note that the surprise attack on underground tunnels, such as the one at Al Shifa Hospital, aims to dismantle the Hamas military leadership underground.
By the day before, the Israeli military had captured all the infrastructure necessary for governance, such as Hamas’s legislative body, administrative buildings, and security headquarters on the ground.
Three Stages of the Israeli War Plan
This marks the completion of the first stage of the operation that Israel began with the deployment of a large ground force in the Gaza Strip last month.
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, informed the national parliament on the 20th of last month that this war comprises three stages: total dismantling of Hamas, elimination of hidden resistance forces, and construction of a new security system.
According to the Israeli military, Hamas members are entirely losing control in the Gaza Strip and fleeing to the less offensive southern Gaza Strip.
Considering this situation, if the results of the surprise attack on bases such as Al Shifa Hospital come out, this war may shift to a small-scale operation to mop up the remnants.
It is still uncertain when the construction of a new security system, the last stage of the war, will begin.
The unpredictability of the situation arises from the unclear nature of Hamas’s new resistance method and the possibility that Islamic countries may join the war.
The Israeli government calls the ‘new normal,’ where Israelis are free from the threat of extremist armed forces such as Hamas, a new security system.
This is a problem of who and how to govern the Gaza Strip, and it is dominant to observe that a grand compromise between Israel, the United States, and neighboring countries is inevitable.
While Israel continues to push for governance intervention, the U.S. is fundamentally opposed to it, and neighboring Arab countries are still calculating.
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