The prevailing opinion in the public sphere, or at least in the media, is that Israel has not defeated Hamas yet, which is not the case in the military and political echelon. The Prime Minister's Office, the government, and the IDF General Staff are convinced that they had inflicted a hard enough blow on Hamas, one they would not come to forget quickly.
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Only time will tell if that is indeed the case. After all, following the 2014 Gaza War, we were also convinced that we had paralyzed Hamas, but soon enough, rockets were being launched into Israel again.
In any case, some politicians – especially those in the Foreign Ministry – are looking for a way out, considering that the United States hinted to put an end to the conflict, and, as they think, Hamas has been weakened enough.
Therefore, while at the beginning of the week, Israel refused to even consider the idea of a ceasefire, by now, it is beginning to lean toward it. Nevertheless, this shift is preliminary, and it will probably take much longer for the actual end of the conflict to come about.
As far as we know, there has been no communication between Israel and Hamas yet, neither through Egypt nor through any other mediator. An Egyptian delegation has not yet arrived in Israel or the Gaza Strip, nor have Israeli or Hamas representatives gone to Cairo.
Israel is not in a hurry at all. Every day of fighting brings opportunities to eliminate terrorists and destroy their infrastructure. The more Israel achieves militarily, the more leverage it will have.
Moreover, the Prime Minister's Office understands that the message it sends to Hamas terrorists will also be internalized by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's leaders.
Some politicians who believe Israel has done enough, think the country should declare a unilateral ceasefire. What that would do is enable Hamas to continue firing at the Jewish state to its heart content. A responsible government cannot end a conflict this way, and Washington would understand this too. The two sides must come to some kind of arrangement.
Lastly, how is it possible that Israel surrounds the Gaza Strip from almost all sides, and yet Hamas manages to rebuild its arsenal? After the 2014 Gaza War, Israel allowed building materials, fuel, and metal to be imported into the strip for civilian purposes alone. As expected, Hamas used it to build tunnels and rockets.
We cannot let this happen again. The victory that the IDF achieves must bring with it the political decision that will prevent Hamas from restoring its prowess. It also must ensure the return of Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
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