As the Israel-Hamas war worsens, many are asking if the U.S. and Israel are planning to conduct a full Gaza invasion to completely stop this terrorist group.
When U.S. President Joe Biden returned to Washington after his controversial Israel visit, he was asked if the hundreds of thousands of Israeli troops would be used for a large-scale ground assault.
Based on his statements, the U.S. government and Israel are trying to avoid a widescale Gaza invasion.
Will the US and Israel Conduct a Full Gaza Invasion?
The Guardian reported that the U.S. and Israel are focusing on invasion alternatives as of press time.
"We had a long talk about that and what alternatives there are. Our military is talking with their military about what the alternatives are," said Joe Biden.
The statements POTUS shared came after IDF (Israel Defense Forces) spokesperson, Lt. Co. Richard Hecht, clarified that they haven't confirmed what steps the Middle Eastern country will take as the war progresses.
"We are preparing for the next stages of war. We haven't said what it will be. Everyone is talking about a ground offensive but maybe it will be something different," he explained.
After Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis and took over 200 hostages, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would "demolish Hamas."
However, his promised ground assault didn't happen since U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel.
Blinken and other American officials, such as Central Command Head Gen Michael Kurilla and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, all shared the same message, which is about what the U.S. did after the 9/11 terrorist attack.
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Ex-US Ambassador Talks About Israel's Ground Offensive
Via CNBC, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel said that the expected ground offensive of Israel into the Gaza Strip may not be a full invasion.
Daniel Kurtzer, the U.S. ambassador to Israel from 2001 to 2005, explained that Israeli soldiers could invade Gaza in stages rather than in one, full sweep.
However, this technique has lots of consequences. For example, Kurtzer warned that sending small groups of Israeli troops one at a time could put them at risk of ambushes.
He explained that Hamas terrorists could conduct surprise attacks using their tunnels. Right now, it is still unclear how will Israel handle these Palestinian terrorists.
