As perilous ground war looms in Gaza, Israelis brace for sacrifice
In Israel’s conflict-ridden 75 years, there have been countless military raids and operations, but only eight campaigns were officially considered a war.
The current one between the Jewish state and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is the ninth, immediately declared as such after the Palestinian militant group’s devastating Oct. 7 cross-border assault into southern Israel.
After nearly three weeks of retaliatory airstrikes and shelling on Gaza, and ahead of a threatened ground operation, Israeli military officials, analysts, and even the general public maintain this war will be drastically different from almost all that have come before.
In many respects, it already is. For the first time in decades, Israel is actively countenancing a prolonged campaign and is signaling to both its foes and citizens that it is
