Even though Israel announced a ground operation by its military in the Gaza Strip and a real build-up of its military presence near its borders a few days ago, it seems that no one has given the order to launch an assault. The military-political situation in the Middle East region has become extremely tense, but four key factors remain the main ones for the command in Jerusalem.

The first is US President Joe Biden. Frank Gardner, a security correspondent for the Air Force, writes about this.

"The American president supports Israel and its fight against Hamas militants but he also calls on the Netanyahu government to be restrained. The United States would like to know if Israel enters Gaza, as well as how and when it plans to leave," the author of the article noted.

The journalist named Iran as the next factor. Sanctioned Tehran finances, trains, arms, and controls a number of Shiite groups in the Middle East. The most powerful of these is Hezbollah in Lebanon, based on Israel's northern border.

"There is an indirect threat that if the IDF invades Gaza, Hezbollah could open a new front on Israel's northern border, forcing it to fight a two-front war," Gardner continues.

The third factor is humanitarian. As the number of Palestinian refugees grows amid Israeli rocket attacks on Gaza, calls for a ceasefire are heard all around the world. However, when Israeli ground troops enter Gaza, the death toll will only increase.

It is clear that Israeli soldiers are also being killed by ambushes, snipers, and booby traps, and most of the fighting may even take place underground in kilometer-long tunnels. But the civilian population will probably bear the brunt of the casualties again," the article emphasizes.

The final factor, although far from being the least important, is the failed intelligence of the Mossad. It was their negligence and oversight that led to the massacre of civilians committed by Hamas terrorists on the morning of October 7. In the last ten days, they have been trying to make amends in every way possible by identifying the names and locations of hostages and the hideouts of Islamic militant commanders.

"It is possible that they asked for more time to gather information so that if and when ground forces do enter Gaza, they can go directly to a specific location rather than wandering around in the ruins of northern Gaza, facing constant attacks amid growing condemnation from much of the world," the analyst concluded.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Israeli authorities evacuated the entire city of Sderot with a population of 30,000 located near the northern border of the Gaza Strip before the start of the ground operation.

Before that, Prime Minister Netanyahu appealed to US leader Biden, saying that Israel had no choice but to clear Gaza of Hamas terrorists. According to politicians, the time for negotiations has passed.

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