by Giovanni Giacalone
The war initiated by the IDF in Gaza to release the hostages and eradicate Hamas has been dragging on for over sixteen months now. Around 58 hostages, two dozen of whom possibly alive, are still in the hands of the Palestinian terrorist organization which hasn’t been defeated or eradicated yet.
The war had to be waged immediately when, even at the media level, the horrifying images of the October 7 massacre were still fresh in memory. It is known that public opinion forgets quickly, especially when the victims are Jews or Israelis.
As if that were not enough, the prolongation of the war led to a rapid increase in anti-Semitism at a global level following the unfortunately effective propaganda machine of Hamas that found fertile ground among the haters of Israel in the West.
Furthermore, the situation has also become problematic at the domestic level, with repercussions on the economy, tourism, exacerbating internal divisions in the country that were already strong and last but not least, at the international level the situation has also created significant diplomatic problems for Israel.
Moreover, such an approach also destroys the morale of the troops who do not understand the point of going to fight in those conditions.
The main “mantra” obsessively invoked to avoid the occupation of Gaza and the eradication of Hamas has been “they have the hostages”.
Ok, it’s true, this is certainly a problem, there’s no denying it. However, we must ask ourselves why the Netanyahu-led government, if really interested in the negotiation, didn’t immediately seek the release of all the hostages, instead of implementing the “a few at a time” mechanism that in any case put at risk the lives of those who remained in the hands of Hamas. It is no coincidence that today we are talking about twenty hostages still alive out of sixty.
Even after obtaining the release of as many hostages as possible and realizing that no further release would be allowed by Hamas, why not move in once and for all? Why drag the conflict forward for so long?
We have reached the point that, with less than two dozen hostages believed to be alive, the Israeli government is still accepting the “few at a time” game, while Hamas should simply be placed in the position of releasing everyone, or else.
Let’s be very clear, the objectives of saving all the hostages while at the same time winning the war (which implies eradicating Hamas) are irreconcilable. You cannot save all the hostages while in the meantime defeat Hamas.
If you want to save everyone, you have to negotiate and accept the requests forwarded by Hamas. Obviously, that should not have been done, because it would have meant succumbing to terrorism, losing the war and legitimizing further October 7-style attacks, endangering Israel and the diaspora as well. It would have been a huge victory for terrorism worldwide.
On the other hand, the objective of winning the war and eradicating Hamas would have required a totally different approach. Hamas rules over Gaza and the conflict needs to focus on taking over the enemy territory, occupying it and suffocating the ruling terrorists until they capitulate while, in the meantime, freeing as many hostages as possible through the use of force. It is indeed a risk, but every option has its own. However, as the situation now stands, with around twenty hostages alive, it makes no sense to keep on negotiating.
The best way not to win a war, not eradicate the enemy from the territory, and drag on with the conflict is:
1- Utilizing a “strike and leave” tactic without fully taking over the territory. It may work for temporary counterinsurgency, but not if the objective is to defeat the enemy once and for all.
2- Conducting air raids without a subsequent large-scale ground operation. This will only further enrage the enemy off (motivation peak).
3- Allowing humanitarian aid to enter without ensuring that it does not reach the enemy instead of civilians.
Such an approach does not fully neutralize the operative capability of the enemy while it increases its motivation for retaliation (in fact, rockets were still launched from Gaza recently). In addition, it also leads to an increase in international support from those who share the “anti-Zionist” cause.
More negotiations will therefore only make the situation worse for Israel, for the Jewish and Israeli diaspora, and the hostages. Who benefits from further procrastination in the eradication of Hamas? Israel certainly does not.