After months of bragging, Israel finally admits its failure in defeating Hamas

Amid a hunger crisis in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen , August 2024

Tom Mehager writes in Haaretz on 24 September 2024:

At its most critical hour, the State of Israel has absolutely no idea where it’s heading. Both the government and the Israel Defense Forces are stuck in a sort of diplomatic and strategic no-man’s-land, and are incapable of providing attainable goals for this never-ending war.

In the absence of any courageous decisions being made – mainly a deal for releasing the hostages in Gaza and for a cease-fire – the entirety of the war is at best a kind of hit-and-miss affair, and a game of roulette at worst.

An enlightening example of how Israel has lost its way can be found in the response that the state submitted to the High Court of Justice in the context of a petition filed by Gisha and other human rights organizations, in which we demanded that the state fulfill its obligation to transfer humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

In order to evade this responsibility, the state declared to the High Court that as of now, Hamas is the effective ruling and military power in the Gaza Strip. In terms of the organization’s civilian capabilities, the state reported that “Even now Hamas has the ability to exercise governmental authority in the Strip.”

It added that “This effort is reflected in a number of strata, the principle ones including: determining policy, activating security mechanisms and establishing new security organizations to handle public order, whose purpose is to take control of humanitarian aid and to earmark it for the needs of the movement, channeling money to the Strip, paying salaries and distributing assistance.”

In terms of their martial status, they wrote that “Hamas’ military capabilities have yet to be eliminated and the violent encounters continue. This is especially true in light of Hamas’ return to activity in areas from which the Israel Defense Forces has withdrawn, and the organization’s rebuilding of its capabilities in the area.”

That means that after months and months of arrogantly speaking about “total victory” and “on the verge of victory,” Israel is officially admitting that not only is it far from defeating Hamas, but also that the organization is managing to resume control over areas where the fighting has already ended.

So what are we meant to believe: the headlines in the media about “the elimination of brigades” and the “loss of capabilities,” or the report the state submitted to the High Court about an organization that is still militarily active, determines policy and pays salaries?

It’s not certain that there’s only one correct answer, but it’s important to understand the source of the contradictions between the various narratives that Israel is selling.

Both the government and senior IDF officers have promised that “military pressure” would lead to hostage deals, and that Hamas was on the path to being defeated in the Gaza Strip.

Should that really happen, and there’s no ruling or governing power in the Gaza Strip, Israel will be asked who will take responsibility for ending the humanitarian disaster there.

In that case, since Israel is trying to evade its responsibility for the catastrophe that it has caused, it says in a second voice to the High Court, and mainly to the international community and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, that Hamas is still an effective ruling power.

If that’s the case, what is the actual purpose of the war in Gaza, if Israel needs Hamas in power? For precisely that reason this is a war of deception.

Israel finds itself suspected of committing the most serious crimes, and often finds itself on the brink of a disastrous regional war, based on its decision to resort to brute force without restraint, rationale, or an exit plan.  Concurrently, the hostages are rotting and being killed in the tunnels, Israel is losing parts of the country that are being bombed and torched on a daily basis, and the killing of civilians and soldiers has become almost routine. In this situation, as time goes on we’ll be exposed to increasingly greater dangers.

From the diplomatic and military predicament in which Israel finds itself, we can understand how human rights and defending them (or unfortunately, seriously violating them) have become a significant factor in international conflicts.

In the wake of its brutal conduct, Israel is involved in three legal processes in the court in The Hague: a lawsuit by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, the opinion of the adviser to that court on the subject of the illegality of Israel’s policy in the occupied territories, including the Gaza Strip, and the request of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan, to issue warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

It’s quite possible that these steps will lead to international sanctions, and the state’s response to the High Court leaves us with the impression that the Israeli government realizes that.

Therefore, the State Prosecutor’s Office is forced to disseminate somewhat absurd claims in order to avoid responsibility for a humanitarian disaster. That may work in the Israeli arena, but it’s very doubtful that international organizations will “buy” these claims.

Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister and, according to current opinion polls, the future prime minister, had previously proposed “to live with the Palestinian problem like a piece of shrapnel in the butt.”

The present dead end proves that in addition to the ethical aspect, military rule over another nation and ensuring serious violations of human rights, have major strategic consequences.

Tom Mehager is the director of the public department of Gisha, which works to protect the Palestinians’ freedom of movement, mainly in the Gaza Strip.

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