Within days of the start of the Israeli assault on Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October attacks, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had fallen into a trap. Hamas would not readily be defeated. By the end of the year, the group was persistently staging attacks in areas of northern Gaza supposedly already cleared by the IDF, and Israel’s war was faltering.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded with a horrific policy of collective punishment of Gaza’s whole civilian population. This is still ongoing as the war enters its ninth month, and the carnage is devastating. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, another 10,000 are missing – many of them buried under masses of rubble – around 80,000 are injured and much of Gaza is in ruins.
The IDF is preparing Israelis for a war lasting at least until the end of this year, if not longer. There may be some possibility of a ceasefire given US president Joe Biden’s current endeavours but there is little to indicate Netanyahu will agree to any deal without the complete defeat of Hamas. This is an impossible aim, but one he is not prepared to desist from, with an Israeli official telling NBC: “Israel has not changed its conditions to reach a permanent ceasefire. That will only happen after our objectives are met, including destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.”
