Fight to the Finish?

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, yesterday,
“The IDF is making progress in the field according to plan and the operation will be expanded until the goal is achieved – restoring quiet to the citizens of Israel for a long period. The achievements in the fighting in the field are outstanding. I am impressed by the operation to hit the tunnels; it is achieving results beyond what we
expected. On behalf of the people of Israel, I tell all the soldiers in the field that we are proud of their strength of spirit and that we pray for their well-being. A military campaign is a complex thing and it has difficult moments. I am certain that together, united, we will reach the goal.”

Amir Rapaport, Israel Defense 21/7/2014

[..] What makes Operation Protective Edge much more difficult than the Operation
Cast Lead is the strengthening of Hamas: the organization has used the
period in which the Muslim Brotherhood ruled Egypt to establish a real
military industry in the Gaza Strip (with advanced tooling equipment) and to
smuggle a large amount of anti-tank missiles, including Kornet anti-tank
missiles (Russian-made) that were transferred to Syria before the outbreak
of the civil war there.

[..] Hamas will struggle to renew its strength as the Gaza crossings are
currently dominated by the new Egyptian government, who hates it most.
Operation Protective Edge would eventually end in a compromise agreement
presented by Egypt or in a resolution of ceasefire by the UN Security
Council.