Israel’s military has said it is ready for a “major” attack on Gaza by land, sea and air, but has yet to launch an operation.

Israel’s military says it is awaiting a “political decision” to launch a ground offensive in Gaza, which it has been pounding relentlessly since a bloody Hamas attack a week ago. In two separate press conferences, Israeli military spokesmen Richard Hecht and Daniel Hagari said any entry into Gaza must be preceded by a “political solution.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed the evacuation of civilians from the Gaza Strip and “humanitarian issues” during talks with US senators on Sunday, his office said. He emphasized Israel’s “military strength” and “determination to destroy the enemy.”

While the answer lies only with the country’s leader, there are likely to be two main reasons why Israel temporarily delayed the promised counteroffensive after the Hamas attacks, according to military analyst Sean Bell, quoted by Sky News.

One reason cited by the analyst is that “diplomatic pressure has been exerted, particularly from the US” to try to buy time for the Palestinians to leave northern Gaza.

But, according to Bell, the “most important” reason is that eight days ago Israel was at peace, and now it is on the brink of “one of the biggest offensives they have had in a generation.”

Israel’s promised major attack includes more than 300,000 soldiers who need training and equipment, Bell points out.

An air, land and sea offensive is also “particularly difficult” to coordinate, says a British analyst, and “will involve great risks.”

“Gaza City has a huge underground network of tunnels that Hamas will have to conquer. Hamas has been investing in this network of tunnels for the past several decades. “It’s almost certain that the IDF won’t know where all the tunnels are, which means Hamas can show up and shoot all over the city,” Bell says.

“This will create an incredibly difficult problem for the IDF,” concludes the British analyst.

The head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that the army will soon enter the Gaza Strip to destroy the terrorist group Hamas and called on soldiers to attack and destroy everything associated with the Palestinian movement, The Times of Israel reported.