Last week, there were suggestions that Israel would launch a major land invasion of the Gaza Strip on Friday or Saturday.

This was caused, among other things, by Israel’s warning to the Palestinian population of Gaza City, and the deadline given for them to evacuate to the south to “save their own lives” from attacks.

As of Tuesday, no major Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip had been launched.

Tormod Heier is a professor of strategy and military operations at the Norwegian Defense Academy. He said there were several reasons why the invasion was postponed.

– The most important reason is that the US is putting pressure on Israel, because America does not want Israel’s invasion to cause great suffering to humanity. If that happens, much of the diplomatic effort the US has made in recent years will be in vain, Heier told Nettavisen on Tuesday morning.

More than 4,200 people have been killed in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank since the war broke out on October 7. Hundreds of those killed were children. Additionally, more than ten thousand people were injured.

Also read: At least 500 people are said to have died in attacks on hospital grounds

American press

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently held a lengthy meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday, it became known that US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday.

Heier said the high number of civilian casualties could destroy the important normalization that is taking place between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

America has long sought to reach an agreement that normalizes Saudi Arabia’s relations with Israel. This would happen in return for an American defense pact.

– The relationship between these two regional powers in the Middle East is also very important for the US, so that they can free up their resources and concentrate on the US’s biggest challenges. Not in the Middle East, but in the South China Sea, Heier said, referring to China’s great power.

– And perhaps the problem of simultaneity in Europe with the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea, he said, referring to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

The United States has sent the world’s largest aircraft carrier “USS Gerald Ford” to the Mediterranean to prevent regional powers and actors from interfering in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

The US also decided to send the aircraft carrier USS Dwight Eisenhower to the region to eliminate its military presence.

– The most difficult war since 1948

Heier said that another important reason why the invasion was postponed was because “Israel was preparing for the most difficult war they had faced since the founding of the country in 1948”.

– The battle environment was extremely unfavorable for the Israeli forces. They will fight on Hamas’ terms and trigger Israel’s largest-ever troop mobilization, he said.

– Coordinating 500,000 troops divided between air defense, navy and land, is not done in a week or two. But that could take months, he said.

– Does that mean it will be months before the land invasion begins, Heier?

– I think not that. The more time passes, the more time Hamas has to prepare. This could take weeks, days, or even hours. No one knows. Before a war, all sides would keep their secrets, so they would gain a psychological advantage when the attack began, he said.

Heier emphasized that Israel may also risk fighting on several fronts: Gaza, the West Bank and others in the north. The country has carried out several relatively minor attacks against Israel, but has not taken any major action.

Iran threatens to attack if Israel invades Gaza.

– The third reason, which may have played a role in this, is that Israel was looking for hostages. It might be easier to free the hostages before ground troops move into Gaza, he said.

Hamas holds around 150 people hostage in the Gaza Strip. The hostages were captured in Hamas’s bloody surprise attack on Israeli soil on Saturday, a week and a half ago.

Also read

Horror scenario for Israel: – Risk of ending in a two-front war

– Increased concerns about Hezbollah

Yonah Jeremy Bob is a defense and intelligence correspondent for a right-wing English-language newspaper Jerusalem Post. He also wrote that there were several reasons why the invasion was postponed.

“Sources told The Jerusalem Post that one factor is growing concerns that Hezbollah is waiting until the moment when the bulk of Israeli forces are committed to Gaza before launching a full frontal attack on Israeli forces in the north,” wrote Yonah Jeremy Bob in an analysis. .

“This will not prevent Israel from invading Gaza, but it may cause delays in rechecking signals regarding Hezbollah’s intentions, as well as further strengthening northern defenses if the worst happens,” he wrote.

Yonah Jeremy Bob wrote that another reason may be that Israel is afraid of retaliating against Hamas.

“The Israel Defense Forces have not done anything like this in recent decades, and rushing to meet the public’s need for retaliation could be a big mistake,” he wrote.