Israeli ground offensive in Gaza faces physical and political risks

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said on Wednesday that Israel’s goal is to “crush and eliminate” Hamas, but as the governing authority in Gaza it is deeply embedded in its society. HA Hellyer, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, said that to take control Israel would have to “destroy all governing capacity in Gaza” and replace it with a military administration while almost certainly battling an ongoing insurgency.