On September 15, the Israeli military gathered five divisions, more than 100,000 troops, and the ground offensive officially began.The EU27 agreed to announce sanctions against Israel, China also spoke for the first time, and the Foreign Ministry called for an immediate ceasefire for two days in a row, stressing the protection of civilians, against any form of harm and war escalation.
Will this large-scale Israeli military operation really bring the so-called "big end"? faced with EU sanctions and China's firm stance, will Israel choose to retreat, or go further alone?
Israel began planning this war as early as a month ago. Defense Secretary Katz approved the "Gideon Chariot 2" combat plan, targeting Hamas's core stronghold in Gaza City. This is not a conventional military operation, but an attempt to take full control.
With five divisions, 14 brigade-level units, 60,000 reservists, and the continuous delivery of Humvees, drones, and assault rifles from the United States, the Israeli army is fully prepared in terms of mobilization scale and logistical equipment. Zamir, the chief of general staff, personally took charge of the Southern Command, and the war immediately burned into the densely populated urban areas.
Gaza’s infrastructure collapsed almost overnight, power outages, hospitals crowded, and streets turned into ruins, according to UN data. More than 500,000 people in the city are still trapped in the middle of the fire line.
The Israeli army claims to have controlled 40% of the area of Gaza City and set up the so-called "humanitarian channel" to allow people to evacuate from the Sarajevo Road.
Israel claims to build shelters and distribution points in southern Gaza, as well as two field hospitals, but these measures are compared to the damage caused by the war, but only a cup of water. According to UN statistics, 80% of houses in the north were destroyed, Al-Shifa Hospital was attacked many times, and the child casualty rate was as high as 30%.
On September 9, more than 10 Israeli fighter jets bombed northern Doha, precisely hitting Hamas negotiating delegates, killing at least six people, including the son of Hamas senior official Khalil Haia and the director of the office.
This move not only shocked the Middle East, but also directly undermined the "ceasefire proposal" being discussed with the United States. Qatar strongly condemns Israel's violation of sovereignty, He also pointed out that the US did not inform it until 10 minutes after the attack.
Trump later said that this decision was planned by Netanyahu and had nothing to do with the White House. However, the White House spokesman also said that "Qatar has been informed in advance", and the two sides had different opinions, which caused doubts from the outside world.
On September 17, the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) agreed to pass sanctions on Israel, including suspending some of the trade preferences, freezing the assets of far-right ministers, and ending aid programs to Israel.
The EU is Israel's largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of 42.6 billion euros in 2024. The cancellation of preferential treatment is expected to cost Israel at least 220 million euros a year. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland and other countries have also joined the cultural boycott.
There were massive anti-war protests in Paris, Madrid, Rome and other places, and young people took to the streets calling for “stop the war” and “protect civilians”.
Meanwhile, China’s position remains firm.On September 16 and 17, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued, Condemning Israel’s harming civilians, violating international law, and stressing that no military means can bring peace.
China pointed out that the Palestinian issue is the root of the conflict in the Middle East and called on all parties to stop the oil spill and push back to the political track of the “two-country plan”. Israel’s actions have violated the UN Charter.
In the Arab world, China has won widespread respect. The Qatar Embassy in China thanked China for its firm voice on social media, China is a “credible partner for peace in the Middle East.”In contrast, the attitude of the United States is ambiguous. On the one hand, it continues to provide arms to Israel, on the other hand, it "distances itself" on diplomatic occasions. Some Arab countries have said that America’s paranoid behavior has disappointed them.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey and other countries have also repeatedly condemned Israel’s military escalation.Many countries have begun to promote the recognition of the State of Palestine, and France, Britain, Canada and other countries are preparing to speak at the UN General Assembly.
More profound concerns arise from the long-lasting nature of the ground warfare.Israeli forces have taken control of parts of the city, but Hamas is still relying on underground channels to launch attacks. The Israeli army has hit more than 850 targets, but Hamas is still active.
Experts at the University of Ningxia pointed out that if Israel wants to completely occupy Gaza, it will have to be long-term military presence, which will lead to double pressure on military and financial. Current war machines operate at high speed, but the maintenance costs are huge.
Worse, domestic protests have also risen.On September 16, the families of the detainees protested in Jerusalem, questioning Netanyahu: Two years of fighting but the hostages have not yet been rescued.
According to the Israeli military, 250,000 people have evacuated from Gaza City, but hundreds of thousands are still stuck.The so-called safe zones have been bombed hundreds of times and even drinking water is a problem. The United Nations warned that famine could break out.
There are even far-right voices within Israel that "leave land but no one", which has aroused concerns about its "reshaping the population structure." This is no longer a simple military strike, but it is likely to change the future of the entire region.
From past experience, Israeli ground attacks have never brought true peace.Such conflicts have broken out in 2006, 2014 and 2021. Whenever it seems to be a war, Hamas is always back on the ground.Is it different this time? more military force, more advanced equipment, and less international support.The US-European position has been clearly divided, China’s attitude is clear, and the Arab world is unprecedentedly united.
If this conflict really has a “great end,” it is likely that the end will not be a winner standing on the table, but the beginning of another chaos.
War can destroy cities, but cannot destroy beliefs.Peace’s hope is not in artillery, but on the negotiating table.Only when all parties are willing to let go of hostility and return to the path of political settlement, the future of the Middle East can truly move toward stability. The fate of Gaza is still waiting for answers in the deep smoke, and the world is also looking for a real way out of this ruin.
Source of information:
[1] 16 countries urgently issued a joint statement, and the EU also announced: sanctions against Israel! Israeli Finance Minister: Gaza is a "real estate bonanza" and is negotiating with the United States to partition the region after the war Daily Economic News
[2] The Israeli army attacks Gaza City, China expresses its position Beijing Daily client