Hamas's gains and Israel's strategic loss: What has the last ceasefire taught us?

In the interrogation with Maariv, Ofer criticized Israel's attack since Operation Gideon’s Chariots, arguing that Hamas “gets everything it wants.”

More than 4 months person passed since the extremity of the past ceasefire successful Gaza, and contempt this, Israel has failed to execute immoderate strategical gains, neither done the warring nor the governmental negotiations, Eyal Ofer, an adept connected Hamas's system and determination relations, told Maariv.

In the interview, Ofer criticized Israel's attack since Operation Gideon’s Chariots, arguing that Hamas “gets everything it wants.”

"It’s been 4 months since the ceasefire ended, and Hamas is inactive negotiating hard, mounting demands, and Israel is yielding," Ofer said. "What does this thatch us? That the main rule of the erstwhile agreement—the enactment for the IDF to instrumentality to fighting—hasn’t led to immoderate strategical outcomes for Israel."

The consequences of further agreements

Ofer warns that immoderate further woody with Hamas would apt pb to Israel’s near-total withdrawal from areas captured during the operation, peculiarly from strategical positions successful the southern Gaza Strip.

"If determination is different woody now, Hamas volition get Israeli withdrawal from astir each the areas captured during Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots,’ including the Morag Corridor and astir of the Rafah municipality area."

Ofer believes the concern is already disposable connected the ground, peculiarly for the Abu Shabab clan, which controls parts of the eastbound areas of Gaza City nether IDF protection. Recently, the clan appealed successful The Times for planetary extortion from Hamas's threats.

"It seems that the connection that Israel volition not power each of Gaza everlastingly is starting to beryllium taken into account," helium said.

Philadelphi corridor arsenic a uncommon exception

The lone exception, according to Ofer, is the Philadelphi corridor.

“Hamas lone concedes to Israel successful 1 area—Hamas is consenting to fto america enactment successful the Philadelphi corridor. Why? Hamas knows that the disconnection betwixt Gaza and Egypt and its economical transportation to Israel person benefited it successful the past and volition proceed to bash truthful successful the future.

Hamas wants Gaza’s reconstruction resources, funded globally, to travel into the Gaza Strip from Israel. For example, the prime of cement from Israel is overmuch amended than Egyptian cement, and Israel tin ever beryllium pressured.”

Hamas’s increasing leverage

Ofer claims that Hamas is already benefiting from this extortion.

"Hamas is already receiving, adjacent earlier immoderate agreement, substance and accrued aid. This is due to the fact that Israel has enactment itself successful an intolerable situation: We’ve taken work for the system and wellness of 2 cardinal Gazans, but we don't power the colonisation centers. Hamas does.

Therefore, we person nary choice. Implementing the civilian work we’ve taken connected requires transferring assistance done Hamas, Gaza's looting gangs, and traders—unless we simply heap up a immense stack of boxes successful assistance organisation camps, without asking, 'Who wants it, travel and take.'"

For Ofer, this is what Israeli "civilian responsibility" successful Gaza looks similar today:

“A implicit loss. We’re transferring assistance to Hamas, and the satellite blames america for the hunger successful Gaza. In the end, conscionable similar successful the communicative of the rotten fish, we’ll beryllium kicked retired of the city.”

Hamas’s continued spot and Israeli failure

Ofer explains that Hamas has go stronger owed to 2 large successes.

“Hamas has blended into the civilian population, from wherever it carries retired guerrilla operations against the IDF. On the 1 hand, Hamas manages to harm our soldiers each fewer days, portraying itself to its radical and the Arab satellite arsenic a beardown subject unit successful the region. On the different hand, the mixing of the IDF and Hamas with the civilian colonisation creates the images of dormant and starving children—the main Hamas weapon.”

Therefore, it is nary astonishment that Hamas continues to marque unreasonable demands without feeling immoderate urgency to extremity the conflict.

“When they consciousness strong, they support demanding everything—including the merchandise of murderers they privation freed and sent abroad, wherever it’s harder for america to destruct them. Of course, they’ve already received the biggest prize: the instrumentality of a cardinal displaced radical to Gaza City and bluish Gaza.”

Hostages versus strategical gains

He does not underestimate the value of securing the instrumentality of hostages, but highlights the outgo of specified actions.

"And what did Israel get? The hostages. Important. But the insistence was connected 'returning to combat.' We did. So what did we get from it (apart from different 40 dormant and dozens of wounded)? Did Hamas ‘become convinced’ by Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ to request less? Is Hamas begging for a woody that volition halt the warring of 5 divisions successful Gaza? Not astatine all."

The standoff continues

Ofer concludes that Hamas remains successful the aforesaid position. "Hamas is inactive successful the aforesaid place, stalling (just similar Netanyahu—it's a communal interest) and knows they’re not threatened militarily successful immoderate way. They’ll support creating a mendacious representation to the satellite and occasionally execute successes successful guerrilla warfare. That is, until the adjacent deal."