Yedioth Ahronoth: Ground operations will not end Hamas, and a majority of Israelis back a deal to return hostages

Arab affairs specialist Avi Issacharoff told the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that the ongoing ground operations in the Gaza Strip “will not end Hamas’s existence,” and that they “do not advance the prospects for a comprehensive deal” to return the hostages.

Issacharoff said “the Israeli public has come to realize this fact,” noting that this explains “the rise of voices calling for an end to the war.”

He added that “an overwhelming majority of Israelis support concluding a deal to return the hostages, even if the price is ending the war on Gaza.”