As we reach Day 50 of Operation Protective Edge, a time frame no one imagined would be approached, it seems more evident than ever that the current military strategy being employed by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is in need of an alternative approach. It has already been proven time and again that terrorist groups like Hamas cannot be deterred by punitive strikes and limited operations alone, including the assassinations of their leaders. The only way to stop Hamas terror from continuing is to definitively go all the way. This is a realization that the Israeli government must have internalized by now.
With a complete lack of regard for all tenets of basic humanity, Hamas has shown it doesn't care how many Palestinians are killed or how much the IDF destroys Gaza. However, here is where one of the more troubling dilemmas stands. Despite its limits in scope, the IDF's ground campaign directed at dismantling Hamas attack tunnels emanating from Gaza was unquestionably very costly from the Israel side. The results of which were 64 soldiers being killed. If anything though, now it appears as if Hamas has turned the tables on Israel. It is now in the position of deterring a further IDF ground operation by its refusal to capitulate, and more so, by its ability to continue to launch deadly attacks against Israel. This is what's most dangerous. The initial goal of Operation Protective Edge was to restore IDF deterrence against Hamas, now it appears things are the other way around.
To unequivocally stop Hamas, what's needed is to go straight to the center of the matter and destroy the Hamas military capacity to inflict harm on Israel. This means eliminating their command and control centers deep in the Gaza Strip and wiping out Hamas rocket producing facilities and launching sites from the ground. It won't be easy, but if Israel wants to eliminate the terror threat from Gaza, it's undeniable that this is what needs to be done.
As long as Hamas still maintains the ability to fire rockets and mortars and cause harm to Israel while disrupting life for millions of Israeli citizens, it's obvious that a new approach is needed. A reported 70% of residents of Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip have now abandoned their homes and fled. The economy of southern Israel is in tatters. It is simply an unsustainable situation.
Hardly anyone would have expected that we would now be in Day 50 of this operation, with Israel now being dragged into exactly the type of war of attrition Hamas wanted all along. This is something that the Netanyahu government swore to avoid from the beginning. It's painfully clear that Hamas is not going to disarm through any diplomatic agreement. It will only be done when they are brought to their knees by force. To do so, Israel must be prepared to take the necessary steps to act or we will only continue to see the terror threat from Gaza increased in the coming years.
The remnants of a Hamas rocket following an impact on a kindergarten playground. Haaretz.
With his polling numbers plummeting fast, it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is left with no good options. Either reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that will undoubtedly result in concessions from the Israeli side and would give the appearance of a Hamas victory, or conduct not another limited operation, but a broad military campaign aimed at crippling Hamas' ability to wage war on Israel. No matter what, we can be sure that if any ceasefire agreement is in fact reached in the next upcoming days, both sides will be nonetheless clamoring to claim victory.
UPDATE: Reports are coming in that Israeli cabinet ministers have been informed that Israel has accepted the latest Egyptian ceasefire proposal. A proposal which has already reportedly been accepted by Hamas and other Gaza militant factions as well. This news comes just as an IDF soldier has been rumored to have been killed in a mortar attack down south, with several others critically wounded. If a ceasefire agreement is truly reached at this juncture, it will certainly only leave us with many more questions than answers.
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