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Urban combat is the most dirty, nasty form of combat there is. It takes a long time, the casualties are high on both the combatant side and the civilian side…” —Stephen GanyardNEW YORK, NY – On July 13th, George Steponopolous interviewed Col. Stephen Ganyard (USMC, Ret.) and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Aaron David Miller on ABC News ‘This Week‘, concerning Israel’s ongoing battle with Hamas. Touting the success of Iron Dome’s radar system, Ganyard explained that Israel does not want to enter into a ground war, and thanks to their effective anti-missile system, there is not much domestic agitation for ground incursion. However, while civilian casualties remain low in Israel, they continue to mount in Gaza; which means that pressure is on Israel to broker a cease fire, as opposed to putting Israeli boots on the ground. Egypt is also under pressure to promote a cease fire effort; the country has a good relationship with Israel, decent communication with Hamas, and motivation from the fact that civilian causalities in Palestine are often reflected on the Egyptian street. Hamas meanwhile seems to be continuing their missile attacks, despite the deadly retaliation against their own civilians, in a desperate bid for political and economic concessions.
Click here to watch “Israel on the Brink of War.”