While major Western countries, including the United States, are persuading Israel to postpone the deployment of ground troops in the Gaza Strip, it has been reported that the Israeli military has formed a specialized assassination unit to eliminate Hamas leaders hiding in the Gaza Strip. There is analysis that this is preliminary work for a ground war.
Israeli daily newspapers such as the Jerusalem Post reported on the 22nd (local time) that Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, recently established the special operations center ‘Nili’. Nili is a Hebrew word meaning ‘the Eternal One of Israel does not lie,’ and was also used as the name of a Jewish underground organization during World War I.
Among the Hamas units that led the Israeli raid, Neely is known to have targeted all members of Hamas’ elite special forces ‘Nukba’, who killed people in kibbutzim (collective farms) and other places. Recently, the Israeli military announced, “Nukba is a terrorist selected by high-ranking Hamas officials and carries out terrorist attacks such as ambushes, raids, tunnel penetration, anti-tank missile and rocket launch, and sniping.”
Hamas commander Muhammad Deif, who led the surprise attack, and political leader Yahya Sinwar were also reportedly targeted for elimination. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called them “walking but dead men.”
The Joe Biden administration is pressuring the ground war to be postponed to negotiate hostages and deliver relief supplies to the Gaza Strip, but Israel has moved to expand its front lines, expressing its willingness to deploy ground troops day after day. On the 22nd, the local online media Times of Israel reported that Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, “We will enter the Gaza Strip and destroy Hamas operations and infrastructure.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reaffirmed his determination to destroy Hamas, saying, “Hamas will no longer exist.” The British daily The Times analyzed that Prime Minister Netanyahu will stick to his hard-line stance on the ground war in the Gaza Strip to avoid criticism that he failed to prevent Hamas attacks, saying, “War is the only way for Netanyahu to remain prime minister.” Prime Minister Netanyahu was in a political predicament until the outbreak of the Middle East war, with large-scale anti-government protests taking place in major Israeli cities due to the forced passage of the judicial adjustment bill that sought to neutralize the judiciary.
Israel is expanding the scope of its attacks not only in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. On this day, the Israeli military mobilized fighter jets for the first time in over 20 years and bombed a mosque in the West Bank where Hamas terrorists are known to be hiding. Additionally, Syrian media reported that shelling of two international airports in the Syrian capital Damascus and northern Aleppo halted flights. Fighting with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is intensifying and casualties are increasing.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.