Yesterday, the war in Gaza hit the stomach with full force: the number of dead, the names, the stories. Another painful reminder of the heavy price we pay for this country, and in this case, for its liberation from the shackles of Hamas.
IDF Spokesperson: "The assassination of the head of the anti-tank division will affect the continuation of the fighting" // Photo: IDF Spokesperson
For years, Israel has waged luxury wars. It used a combination of intelligence and the air force to strike the enemy without endangering ground forces. Combined with strong air defense, this enabled precise strikes that provided extended periods of quiet, but it was an illusion that was shattered loudly on 7 October: leaders could perhaps be eliminated from the air, decisive enemies on the ground.
Expansion of IDF ground operations in the Gaza Strip, photo: IDF Spokesperson
The illusion of quiet and deterrence had several other consequences that Israel now has to deal with. The first appendix deals with addiction to the strong defense. Iron Dome and its counterparts are a welcome technological marvel, but they have also largely sterilized the need to rush forward in order to win. Without them, with far fewer rockets, the IDF would have long ago been deep inside Gaza (or Lebanon), simply because the home front could not bear the price. The fact that the air defense provided exceptional interception rates sowed the mistaken thought that the ground operation was unnecessary.
The second appendix deals with the most basic role of the army: to defend the homeland and its citizens. For too many years, the creators have been reversed. The civilians were the bulletproof vest that spared the soldiers the need to rush forward. One round of this problematic mindset took place on the northern border before the Second Lebanon War, when civilians worked the plots up to the fence, while the IDF hid behind them.
That war changed the reality in the north, but the reality in the south was no better. For too many years, the residents of the envelope have lived under the intolerable threat of rockets, demonstrations, noises and balloons, without the state solving their problem. Kibbutzim and towns have made it clear time and time again that they are willing to pay any price, as long as the problem is solved once and for all. The state heard, but sought specific solutions – suitcases of money, workers – that were paracetamol for a malignant disease.
Shaping a different reality
Now Israel needs to make amends. This is a fundamental correction, from the root, at the end of which it commits to achieve two significant achievements from which everything will be derived. The first is the toppling of the Hamas regime and denying it its ability to rule again in the future. It requires killing its heads, hunting down its commanders, damaging its infrastructure, denying its legitimacy in the eyes of the world and its people. Who and what will come next? If Israel plans early, perhaps a solution will be found. If not, there could be a twilight period known in Islam as Jaliya, during which a Somali-style gang war will be waged in Gaza, forcing Israel to take increased action in the future as well. This is a different variation on the idea underlying Operation Defensive Shield: an aggressive and focused operation to damage terrorist infrastructure, withdrawal while maintaining strong defense, followed by continued long-term activity to clear the area and deny the enemy capabilities.
IDF strikes in Gaza, photo: AFP
The second achievement required is disengagement from Gaza. Israel did it formally in the summer of 2005, but Gaza never disengaged from us. The electricity, the fuel, the goods, the workers – everything passed through Israel. Now it's time to put an end to it. This border should be closed permanently, or at least until there is a normal and interlocutable entity in Gaza. And what until then? Let the goods pass from Egypt. The world can and should demand this minimum from Cairo (under the necessary supervision to ensure that no weapons enter the Gaza Strip).
In order to achieve these two goals, Israel must decide. Only in this way will it be possible to shape a different reality on the ground. And victory means a difficult, persistent, bloody war deep inside Palestinian territory, which has been preparing for this war for exactly 15 years with an elaborate system of tunnels and traps that are deliberately converged in the heart of the civilian population and alongside sensitive facilities such as hospitals and UN facilities. The IDF will not be required to go through every tunnel and shaft, but it will be required to hit the centers of power – people and headquarters and weapons depots – that will deprive Hamas of significant capabilities and put it in functional distress. If all this happens, while at the same time the civilian population is raising an outcry, it may be possible to make progress on the issue of abductees, which is currently being used by Yahya Sinwar as the main bargaining chip.
There will still be tough days
In this war, as of yesterday, the IDF has the upper hand. Hamas counts hundreds of fatalities, including mid-level commanders and severe damage to several of its main units. He is far from decisive, but the pressure on him is great, and he attacks back with all the tools at his disposal – from rockets designed to keep the Israeli home front in tension to attempts to harm forces on the ground. In the past 24 hours it has accumulated several successes, but this is part of the price of the war: even in past wars the IDF had days and difficult battles, but in the end it won.
IDF forces near the Gaza Strip, photo: AP
Anyone who thinks Hamas can be defeated on zero is not in the right event. We are facing a cruel, determined enemy who is currently fighting for his life against a much stronger and more determined army. It will take time, there will be more difficult days, but the vector is clear, and in order for it to continue, Israel must not blink. It must show determination and daring in Gaza, while at the same time deterring in other sectors – especially in the north – in order to prevent the expansion of the campaign and so that it can continue to focus on Gaza and the mission it has set for itself: defeating Hamas.
IDF attack in the Gaza Strip, photo: AFP
These are particularly tough days, especially when they come after the horrors and shock of Simchat Torah. But anyone who lives here, and wants to continue living here, has no choice: bite your lip, breathe deeply – and keep going. Until victory. Only in this way will deterrence be restored. Only in this way will future wars be postponed. Only in this way will Israel avenge the October 7 blow and promise never again.
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