Explained: Why is Israel putting Gaza's ground invasion on the back-burner?

The latest war in the Middle East triggered by the Hamas Islamist group has seen a massive retaliation by Israel. Israeli air strikes have taken out many Hamas commanders and pounded their targets. It also boasted of an air, ground, and sea invasion of Gaza. But, the country has so far not starteda full-fledged ground invasion.

Given Israel's military might, why is the country shying away from taking this move?

As per an AFP report that quoted experts, there are a multitude of factors at play, including global pressure, divisions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), and rising concerns for the safety of people held captive by the Hamas militant group.

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Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea in a daily Yedioth Ahronoth pointed at the ongoing friction between Netanyahu and IDF and attributed this to the cautious moves made by Israel and its decision to put the Gaza ground invasion on a back burner.

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"There's a crisis of confidence between (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF (army)," Barnea wrote, adding, "The government is having difficulties taking decisions that everyone agrees on about the top issues."

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Israel's much-touted Iron Dome missile system failed to protect innocent Israelis after about 5,000 surprise air strikes by Hamas. Barnea, while citing government and military sources in the report, said, "Netanyahu is angry at the generals and blames them for what happened."

Another Israeli journalist Amos Harel in Haaretz Daily wrote, "Disputes over these operations are creating tensions, especially between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant."

What is noteworthy is that this political-military divide does not play out in public. In public appearances and official statements, Netanyahu and IDF leadership seem to be in consonance with each other.

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It was reflected in a communique on Tuesday (Oct 24) from the Israeli government. "The prime minister, the defence minister and the IDF chief of staff are working in close and full cooperation, around the clock, to lead the State of Israel to a decisive victory over Hamas," the communique read.

"There is total and mutual trust between the prime minister, the defence minister and the IDF chief of staff; the unity of the goal is clear," it added. So is this a tacit agreement between Netanyahu and IDF to put up a good face for the world?

Complex situation in Gaza Strip

WhileHamas continues to hold captive many Israelis and foreign nationals, the situation remains complex and any reckless move by Israel could lead to further deterioration of the situation.

Gunmen who made an incursion into Israel took over 200 people hostages, including foreign nationals, and hence the situation remains sensitive.

Patrick Bettane, an intelligence specialist at Israel's International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) think tank, explained that as far as a ground offensive is concerned there remains a "disagreement".

"But the fact that there are hostages being held in the Gaza Strip complicates everything," he reportedly said, adding, "Israel is waiting to see how this problem can be resolved before it acts."

Akiva Eldar, an expert on Israeli politics, reportedly said that "after the emotions (were) aroused by this terrible massacre, Bibi (Netanyahu) and the generals are starting to think differently".

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There is international pressure at play as well, especially with the hostage situation.

Many nations including the US, China and Australia have made their military presence felt in the Middle East due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Army chief Herzi Halevi asserted, "We are well prepared for the ground operations in the south." There have been calls by the Israeli PM to fully root out the Hamas Islamist group.

Israel also warned the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus saying, "Hezbollah... is dragging Lebanon into a war that it will gain nothing from, but stands to lose a lot."

"We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating," warned Netanyahu.

Political analyst Daniel Bensimon said, "Disagreement or not, it's a fact that Americans and the Europeans are coming to Israel to caress it with honeyed words with the aim of preventing a ground offensive."

"The international community fears a ground operation would spark a chain reaction that could engulf the whole region, and maybe even further afield," he said, adding, "But in the end, they want to stop Israel from going into Gaza and prevent Iran from becoming involved through the Shiite Hezbollah movement, its proxy in Lebanon."

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