Israel’s military weighs war options as Joe Biden heads to region

The Israeli military is contemplating alternative strategies to combat the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip, rather than solely focusing on a ground offensive. This comes as mediators are struggling to break a deadlock over delivering aid to millions of increasingly desperate civilians in the Hamas-run enclave, which has been besieged and under assault by Israel. Israel's objective is to dismantle the military capabilities and governance of Hamas, following an attack by its fighters on Israel’s heavily fortified Gaza border on October 7. The attack resulted in the death of more than 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians. In response, Israel has launched relentless air strikes on Gaza, resulting in the death of at least 2,778 people, two-thirds of whom were children, and injuring 9,700 others, according to Gaza’s health authorities. The Israeli military asserts that it is targeting Hamas hideouts, infrastructure, and command centres. One such strike in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza resulted in the death of a top Hamas commander, Ayman Nofal, who was in charge of Hamas militant activities in the central Gaza Strip. Despite these strikes, Hamas militants continue to launch rockets at Israel. Israel has amassed troops at the border in anticipation of a ground offensive, but Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht stated that no concrete decisions have been made. Hecht said, 'We are preparing for the next stages of war. We haven’t said what they will be. Everybody’s talking about the ground offensive. It might be something different. ' Experts have warned of the potential for difficult fighting and high casualties on both sides in the event of a ground offensive in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Israel also faces the daunting task of rescuing 199 hostages, including young children, who were taken by Hamas militants during their attack. As the Israeli military strategises its next move, US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Israel on Wednesday in a show of support. The US is attempting to prevent the escalating war against Hamas in Gaza from spilling over into a wider Middle East conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who recently returned to Israel after a regional tour, stated that Biden’s visit would be a statement of 'solidarity with Israel' and an 'ironclad commitment to its security'. The US has already dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean to deter hostile actions against Israel. Iran, a staunch adversary of Israel, has repeatedly warned against a Gaza invasion and raised the possibility of a 'pre-emptive action' against Israel. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that 'no one can stop resistance forces' if Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza. There have been deadly flare-ups along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant movement is based. Israel announced that it had launched strikes on militants attempting to cross the border and on 'terrorist' targets. While signalling support, Biden will also attempt to subtly guide Israel’s military response, as international concern has grown about the devastating impact of the war on Palestinian civilians. Entire neighbourhoods in Gaza have been razed, leaving survivors with dwindling supplies of food, water, and fuel. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees reports that more than one million Palestinians – almost half of Gaza’s population of 2. 4 million – have fled their homes. World Health Organization regional director Ahmed Al-Mandhari warned that Gaza is hurtling towards a 'real catastrophe', with only 24 hours of water, electricity, and fuel remaining. Israel has instructed residents of north Gaza to relocate to the south, in an attempt to clear the area of civilians in preparation for a potential ground assault that would involve gruelling urban combat. In the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the population has approximately doubled. Egypt has thus far kept Gaza’s only border crossing not controlled by Israel, Rafah, closed. Israel has repeatedly struck the area on the Palestinian side and denied reports of any temporary ceasefire deal to open it. Blinken, following discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, indicated that there was no firm agreement yet on humanitarian relief, but that there was a 'commitment' to work on a plan prior to and during Biden’s visit. He also mentioned that the two sides were discussing the 'possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way'. Blinken stated that the US president hopes to 'hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and enables humanitarian assistance to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas'.