It sounds like a broken record; even when faced with the partial withdrawal of American support, the Israeli government has neither provided a viable plan for the protection of civilians nor linked the upcoming campaign to any reasonable long-term political objectives. That repeated failure defies common sense. What is going on here?
Two things. Bibi doesn’t want to talk about the future because it divides the cabinet; better to just fight an endless war than to risk losing power. The lack of interest in protecting civilians reflects the state of Israeli public opinion. The Israelis are traumatized. They only feel their own pain and vulnerability. They want Hamas finished, and they have little interest in protecting Palestinian women and children if they are in the way.
I’m guessing the state of public opinion is probably due in part to the images the Israelis are seeing on TV, which most likely do not include any of the pictures of wretchedness that appear on our screens every night. The lack of interest in the future and the fate of civilians is understandable, but it is a mistake. At the present rate, Gaza will be nothing but a rubble pile six months from now, the Israeli public will be tired of paying for the war, Hamas will still be there, and the rest of the world will be appalled.