The US administration continues to view the Palestinian Authority as the lesser of two evils compared to Hamas. This shows that they haven't learned the lesson of the misconception that led to Oct. 7, the failed deterrence, and the self-delusion that you can buy off Hamas.
Israel is facing a dilemma. On the one hand, the potential release of captives, even a few, is part of the moral imperative that saving one life is like saving the entire world. On the other hand, there is a clear understanding that Hamas is taking advantage of Israel's vulnerability for broader purposes, thereby hoping to avert the expansion of the Israeli military operation in the strip.
Anybody paying attention to him, both in his open announcements to the media and in closed briefings, fully understands that he recognizes that he is responsible. When he was presented with what former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said about responsibility, his reply was, “Nothing has changed.”
Hamas likely believed that had Israel subscribed to small-scale approach, they could build on the success of October 7 and effect a change that would result in a new “equation” between the organization and the Jewish state. Meaning, the release of the imprisoned terrorists, lifting the blockade, and stopping the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Shifa Hospital is considered the nerve center of the tunnel and command network in the northern Strip, a place where it is doubtful whether Hamas leadership thought Israel would ever dare to enter.
It will need to tread carefully in dealing with several combustible issues, foremost among them being the Shifa Hospital and the ever-increasing threat from Hezbollah.
Yahya Sinwar prepared for Israel's aerial attack. It's probable that he also prepared for a ground confrontation, but it's doubtful if he estimated that Israel would act with such force.
Israel should consider agreeing to very limited humanitarian ceasefires, both in terms of time and location. In this arrangement, Israel will be able to monitor all aid entering the Gaza Strip and continue fighting in northern Gaza.
The most immediate goal should be the dismantling of Hamas' rule and neutralization of its ability to return and take control in the future. This requires eliminating its leaders, capturing its commanders, damaging its cells, and stripping its legitimacy in the eyes of the world and its own people. The second is the full disengagement from Gaza.
The IDF is striving to maintain combat readiness and aims to create a ground operation that will lead to the dismantling of Hamas. Simultaneously, this operation is intended to exert heavy pressure on the terrorist organization to secure the release of the captives from the October 7 onslaught.
