The British magazine The Economist addressed the possibility of Israel invading the Gaza Strip by land, while warning of a "cruel" war awaiting it there. She suggested that the removal of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" from power in Gaza may not be possible without direct occupation of the territory.

A third ground incursion in response to Hamas's attack on Israeli civilians is imminent.

Israel had incurred into limited areas of the Strip twice before, first as part of Operation Cast Lead, which lasted 15 days in January 2009. The second was Operation Protective Edge in 2014, where its military spent 19 days.

The newspaper said the attempt at a ground invasion this time was likely to be "bigger, longer and more violent" than the previous two.

The resistance called its response to Israel's 2009 offensive the "Battle of Al-Furqan," while Hamas in 2014 called its operations "Eaten Storm," and the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, chose the name "Al-Bunyan al-Marsous" for its operations.


Limited incursion

Israeli leaders are currently considering the extent of their next offensive, according to the magazine, which adds that one option is a limited incursion, such as the one that occurred in 2014, when the Israeli army seized an area adjacent to the border to close tunnels used to smuggle food, fighters and weapons. But he stopped on the outskirts of major cities to avoid urban warfare.

Another option is an invasion deep into Gaza to occupy larger areas of the Strip. These past tactics seem insufficient for Israelis, who are widely angered by what The Economist considers "atrocities committed by Hamas."

Israeli leaders have vowed to eliminate Hamas, rather than just weaken it. The magazine quoted a statement by Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, in which he said, "The era of logic (in dealing) with these savages is over. It's time to destroy Hamas's terrorist infrastructure, to wipe it out completely."

Daniel Byman of Georgetown University, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Hamas is deeply rooted in Gaza, embedded in a range of charities, schools and mosques, adding that separating it from the Strip is "an almost impossible task."


High cost

The reoccupation of the Gaza Strip is "out of the question", as Israel left in 2005, partly because the cost of maintaining it is too high.

Israel is using Hamas's "adversary" Palestinian Authority in the West Bank as a helping force to some extent. But such use will not be an option in Gaza.

However, an alternative approach to the next step would be a larger version of Operation Cast Lead, where the IDF is likely to deploy two armored divisions and an airborne light division, comprising 5 brigades.

If Israeli commanders eventually order a large-scale invasion, one or two armored brigades equipped with tanks would likely advance 6 kilometers west toward the coast, either north or south of Deir al-Balah.

Two or three brigade-sized units—each with a few thousand troops—will focus on the north, including around Gaza City, and one or two units on Khan Younis or Rafah in the south. The aim is, perhaps, to undermine the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and infrastructure.

The biggest challenge will be urban warfare, an adventure marked by chaos.