The Israeli army faces 'one of the most difficult operations in military history.'
This is what the now-retired general, Lord Dannatt, told Sky News.
'In the annals of military history, this will be one of the most difficult operations any army has had to perform: How can one attempt to achieve the goal of destroying Hamas without being complicit in the killing of over 230 hostages?' he asks.
He believes there is only one possibility for success for Israel.
'It's a true nightmare, and quite frankly, it will be a challenge, and I can't see how the Israelis are going to do it any other way than being there for a long time and hoping that they can eventually smoke out Hamas.'
He thinks that Gaza, where two million people live in 141 square miles, is 'a terrible environment' to operate in.
