Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza Strip on Friday night.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces IDF, both ground forces and the air force are participating.
Anders Persson, political scientist and Middle East expert at Linnaeus University, follows the development and believes that it would mean a very clear escalation if Israel chooses to enter Gaza with ground troops.
The last time this happened was in 2014.
- Historically, Israel has been reluctant because it leads to very large losses, says Anders Persson in SVT's Morgonstudion.
Sees risk of war
According to Anders Persson, both a new war and a new extensive Palestinian uprising against Israel are possible scenarios.
- There may be a full-scale war in Gaza, we have seen three such - 2008, 2012 and 2014 - and it is possible that there will be a fourth such.
There are also observers who see a risk of a new Palestinian intifada from the West Bank and into Israel, he says.
Street violence worries
In addition to the escalation between Hamas, the terrorist organization that effectively controls Gaza, and the Israeli military, several acts of violence have taken place on the streets of Israeli cities.
Several clips from the violence are now being spread on social media.
- Many observers believe that it is the most worrying right now, because sectarian violence has very long-term effects, it raises questions about future coexistence, says Anders Persson.
- What we now see are mobs on both sides who attack each other and film and post it on social media, which further inflames the situation, and there is something new in this conflict.