Israeli military analyst Amos Harel has stated that the continuation of fighting in the current form in the Gaza Strip will lead to more Israeli soldier fatalities.
In an article published by Haaretz newspaper on Monday, Harel said that there will be a stream of news about the death of Israeli soldiers in Gaza if the battles continue with the current tactics, as the Israeli army sustains an increasing number of casualties and injuries.
He added that the risk to Israel would increase as doubts emerge over time about the ability to achieve the objectives of the military operation in Gaza, most notably defeating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and regaining the captives.
The Israeli analyst pointed out that the possibility of changes in the nature of Israeli military operations in Gaza next month will raise doubts about the ability to achieve the declared goals of the ground incursion into the sector.
Harel mentioned that at this stage, it seems that Hamas is unwilling to make concessions, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government insist that continued military pressure alone will push the movement to show flexibility.
He continued by saying that although Israel and the United States have not provided any details regarding the ongoing talks between them about the timeline of the war, it is clear that the talks have set a deadline for the start of the next phase of the war.
The Israeli military analyst suggested that this would happen by mid-January, after which the nature of Israeli offensive operations in Gaza will change and become less extensive.
