U.S. Must Prevent Israel From Catastrophic Gaza Invasion

On the morning of October 13, Israel issued a warning to the 1.2 million Palestinians in northern Gaza, instructing them to evacuate within 24 hours in anticipation of a potential ground invasion.

"The United States stands with Israel and its people, and we will always stand — resolutely — against terrorism," wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his social media accounts. I Photo: Secretary Antony Blinken X

This prospective Israeli assault is aimed at dismantling Hamas as an organization in response to its shocking surprise attack into southern Israel on October 7, during which it killed 1,300 Israeli citizens and captured over 150 Israelis. Marc Lynch authored this report for Foreign Affairs.

The inevitability of an Israeli ground campaign became apparent when Hamas breached the security perimeter surrounding the Gaza Strip.

While Washington initially supported Israeli plans, it later called for restraint. In a politically charged environment, some of the loudest voices in the U.S. advocated for extreme measures against Hamas, with some commentators even suggesting military action against Iran for its alleged support of Hamas's operation.

Given its recent alignment with Israel, Washington must now shift its stance and insist that its ally fully comply with the laws of war. It should urge Israel to find ways to confront Hamas without causing displacement and mass casualties among innocent Palestinian civilians.

This is precisely the moment when Washington should be the voice of reason and prevent Israel from making a catastrophic decision.

The invasion of Gaza would be a humanitarian, moral, and strategic disaster. It not only jeopardizes Israel's long-term security and inflicts immeasurable human suffering on Palestinians but also poses a threat to core U.S. interests in the Middle East, Ukraine, and in its competition with China over the Indo-Pacific order.

Only the Biden administration, leveraging the unique influence of the United States and its demonstrated support for Israeli security, has the ability to prevent Israel from making a grave mistake.

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