The current Israeli military operation is aimed at wiping out Hamas operatives, not Gazans.
New Delhi
Will the ongoing Israeli military campaign, codenamed “Operation Swords of Iron,” lead to a full-fledged invasion of the Gaza Strip, the very base of Hamas, the terror group that invaded the Jewish state on October 7 slaughtering over 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, and kidnapping around 200 people?
Knowledgeable sources say Hamas’ invasion of civilian communities in Israel happens to be unparalleled in the history of the independent Jewish state since it came into existence in 1948. In the previous Yom Kippur war of 1973, only about 2,200 people, mostly soldiers, had been killed.
Confronted with the Hamas terror, Israeli politicians have now ceased to fight with each other and have united against the devil. There is a near consensus across the entire Israeli political spectrum today to wipe out Hamas in retribution for its attack on the country.
The current Israeli military operation is aimed at wiping out Hamas operatives, not Gazans. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization based in Egypt. The Hamas charter (1988) declares its intent to obliterate Israel. In 2005, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to withdraw unilaterally every Israeli soldier and civilian from Gaza. In 2007, Hamas pushed aside the Palestinian Authority and became the rulers of Gaza. Since then, Hamas has attacked Israel in various ways—using rockets, missiles, kites, balloons, condoms with incendiary devices attached.
In the wake of the Hamas-perpetrated October 7 terror against Israel, Jerusalem has called up a record 360,000 reservists to fight the evil. The Israeli strategy is to destroy the terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and blow up the underground tunnels Hamas has built to conduct its operations. The Israeli Defense Forces has already eliminated many Hamas military commanders, including Ali Qadi, Belal Alqadra, Muetaz Eid, and Zakariya Abu Ma’amar.
Historical experience suggests Israel will subdue Hamas in due course. Israel has already successfully fought three previous conflicts with Hamas, in 2008-9, 2012 and 2014. No doubt, currently, Iran, its proxy, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Turkey and Qatar do support Hamas. Hamas’ relationship with Iran began in the early 1990s, when Israel expelled over 400 Hamas leaders to Southern Lebanon and they established acquaintance with Lebanese Hezbollah. Turkey has been a major host of Hamas’ office in Istanbul. Ismail Haniyeh, former prime minister of Hamas authority in Gaza, has his house in Doha.
But such foreign support to Hamas is highly unlikely to affect adversely the Israeli advantage in the current war. The United States, the world’s greatest military power, and powerful democracies, such as the United Kingdom, are firmly behind Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas’ terrorism. US President Joe Biden has promised unconditional support for Israel. In the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the US administration has pledged military support to Israel, sending US carriers and aid to the region. The Pentagon has sent “prepare to deploy” orders to about 2,000 US troops to be ready to respond to the Israel-Hamas war. Recently, US President Biden himself was there in Israel to express his support to Israel. Senior US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have also visited Israel to lend their support to the country.
Pertinently, sources say, Jerusalem is sure to be highly cautious about undertaking any military course that might be detrimental to ordinary Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military culture is not to engage in any indiscriminate massacres but to protect civilians in a war. In view of this, Jerusalem has recently already agreed not to stop aid entering from Egypt to the Gaza Strip as long as it is limited to food, water, and medicine for the civilian population in the area. Israel is determined to thwart “any supplies” that might reach Hamas. Israel knows it has a tough job in the Gaza Strip—help the masses and eliminate the devils hidden in their midst.
There is little chance that Israel will ever want to hold onto any Gaza territory or re-occupy it. Israel is a democracy. The Jewish state is unlikely to act in the ways that might hurt the interests of the majority of Palestinians.
Also, Jerusalem is sure to avoid any people-unfriendly military course that might upset its growing ties with some of the Arab states today. Israel wants to engage them in its constructive diplomacy. Almost all of them have condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel. They are opposed to collective punishment against ordinary Palestinians.
The author is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York.