As Israeli forces move their military operation towards central Gaza, Tamer Qarmout, a Doha Institute for Graduate Studies professor, says they want the same level of destruction that occurred in the north of the Gaza Strip to make the entire enclave “unlivable” and make the forcible transfer of Palestinians to Egypt a “more feasible” idea.

“Hamas still stands, the resistance still stands in the Gaza Strip, and this myth of Israel having control over any neighbourhood of the Gaza Strip is not true. We have seen in some incidents the moment the Israeli forces withdrew from some neighbourhoods inside Gaza and the north, you will see Hamas forces re-emerge immediately,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera.

“So unless they want to reoccupy the entire Strip and stay there for years, I don’t think this target or goal is achievable”.