Israeli military likely to cross border with ground forces: Intel analyst warns

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are responding to almost continuous Hamas rocket strikes within the Jewish State by launching precision airstrikes against at least 20 Hamas terror sites including a Hamas training camp, according to Dr. Lyle Rapacki, an intelligence analyst with expertise in the Middle East.

Some of the airstrike targets were locations of at least 20 tunnels used by  Hamas’ Dir al-Balah battalion attempting terror raids into Israel past the border and border check-points.   Dir al-Balah is translated as Monastery of the Date Palm and it’s a  city in the central Gaza Strip and the administrative capital of the Deir el-Balah Governorate.

Also included in the Israeli airstrike targets was the military compound of the Zaytun Battalion whose mission it is to store rockets and assist with deep tunnel development, including a marine (water) tunnel in northern Gaza.

The Israeli air force also bombed a Hamas weapons plant. The Hamas missiles and rockets strike locations that have caused immense suffering by Israeli civilians. Unlike the Israeli’s, Palestinians could not care less about killing or wounding innocent men, women and children.

According to Dr. Rapacki’s report, in multiple locations within Israel, children may only have seconds to seek shelter prior to Hamas rocket strikes.

Prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, without support from President Barack Obama nor U.S. allies, Israel delayed military responses and employed conventional means of negotiations to stem the escalating violence and assaults both on and across her border.  Hamas leaders and their sponsoring states such as Iran, Syria, and Russia only engaged in periodic interruptions prior to launching another wave of attacks; cross-border small military units, tunnel and missile.  “Israel children, civilians as well as military, residential, and high valued structures were routinely targeted by Hamas and allies,” noted Rapacki, the owner of Sentinel Intelligence Services, LLC..

Israel is currently preparing what appears to be an overt and decisive land assault against Hamas anywhere from now to the next 48-hours.  Such military action would be an open Declaration of War, and would not be limited to air strikes as Israel has employed previously.

Dr. Rapacki claimed that a ground invasion would be more difficult with high casualties on the Palestinian side, as well as with Israeli troops.  The casualty increase on the Palestinian side would be attributed, in part, to Israel not broadcasting the location(s) of their attack as they currently do, thereby, providing a humane measure of escape and avoidance for citizens.

Israeli military force would be of such magnitude that Palestinian civilian causalities could prove high.  Likewise, buildings, residences, and infrastructure (what there is of it) in the Palestinian sectors would receive significant and devastating damage and total destruction; Hamas purposefully uses residence and other civilian buildings in which to hide, launch their attacks, and actually fight knowing Israel fights a “clean” or “gentleman’s war.”  This would not be the case in such a military launch today, notes Rapacki’s latest report.