The report describes a long, open-ended campaign in Gaza with projections ranging from six weeks to six months. Bloomberg notes that authorities are urging the United States and other allies to ask Israel to clarify its strategic aims and lay out a concrete plan for what happens next.
Officials indicate the current objective differs from earlier clashes in Gaza, where the intention was to weaken Hamas while keeping it operational. The intent now appears to be to dismantle the organization and prevent Gaza from serving as a base for anti-Israeli violence.
Sources cited by Bloomberg say Israeli security services have formed a special unit tasked with targeting Hamas leaders connected to the October 7 attacks. Additionally, reports indicate Israel plans to establish a buffer zone intended to reduce the likelihood of renewed cross-border assaults from Gaza.
On the evening of October 27, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagár stated that the scope of land maneuvers in Gaza had broadened. He noted intensified airstrikes over the past several hours and a sustained ground campaign. In response, Hamas spokespeople described the situation as an Israeli onslaught across land, sea, and air, emphasizing the escalating nature of the conflict.
On October 7, Hamas forces fired thousands of rockets into Israel and announced the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Thousands of militants reportedly crossed into Israeli territory, seizing military equipment and taking more than a hundred hostages. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war.
Israel’s intervention operation, named Iron Swords, targeted Hamas infrastructure with airstrikes as a central component. Israel’s National Security Council reportedly moved to cut off basic supplies to the Gaza Strip, including water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel, in an effort to pressure Hamas and limit support networks within Gaza.
Earlier notes from discussions in other areas referenced Russia as a location where an end to the conflict might be discussed, but no definitive timeline or plan had emerged at that time.