Will America pull the plug on Israel’s invasion of Gaza? 

Israel’s ground offensive is entering a dangerous new stage, nearly two weeks after it began. On November 5th the Israel Defence Forces (idf) unleashed a series of devastating air strikes in and around Gaza city. The goal was to damage Hamas’s tunnel networks. Israeli troops are now operating in the city’s centre, where they believe Hamas has its underground headquarters, having encircled it from three sides. The advance units on different axes are now so close to each other that one of their chief concerns is avoiding “friendly fire” incidents.