Haaretz analyst: Gaza could trap Israel in a bloody quagmire

Zvi Bar’el, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, wrote about the dire consequences of occupying Gaza: “Israel is preparing to occupy Gaza, but it may later discover that it is Gaza that has occupied Israel.”

He added: despite broad preparations for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, it remains unclear how far the army’s civilian responsibilities would extend there. In the absence of infrastructure and a local governing authority, such an occupation would turn into a quagmire far bloodier and more painful than the West Bank.

Bar’el continued: Israeli assessments suggest that as many as half a million people in Gaza City and the northern Strip may refuse to leave their homes—while military officials admit they have no idea how to deal with them.

According to the paper, Israeli officials also acknowledge that there is still no organized plan from the regime to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Israeli media sources further admit that deep divisions between the regime’s political and military leadership are casting a heavy shadow over Israel’s war strategy in Gaza, leaving its future uncertain.