Senior Israeli Military Intelligence officials say that the Gaza target bank has become “very problematic,” with the quality of available targets being lower than the army would need to mount an effective operation.
The army has only identified a relatively small number of attack targets in the Strip, and those it has found are of lower quality than in other areas, senior Military Intelligence officials say.
Since Operation Guardian of the Walls ended about a year ago, the Israeli army has been working to prepare for the possibility of another major round of fighting with Hamas in Gaza.
Figures that were recently presented to the army brass showed the bank of targets has grown by 400 percent since Aviv Kochavi took over as chief of staff, but Military Intelligence officials say that the quality of those targets has declined as has the number, compared to other areas. They attribute the drop in potential targets to the fighting in Gaza over the past two years, during which hundreds of Hamas positions and infrastructure were hit.
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