When Benjamin Netanyahu sent troops into Gaza last month after Hamas launched a devastating assault on Israel, he pledged that the Jewish state would “eliminate” the Palestinian militant group once and for all.

In the weeks since, Israeli ground forces have encircled Hamas’ political and military stronghold in Gaza City. But even as Israeli troops close in on their first military objective of taking control of northern Gaza, Israel’s longer-term strategy for the exclave remains shrouded in mystery – to most Israelis, to Palestinians and even to its closest allies in the US.