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Israel's Gaza War: A War of Attrition with No Strategic Purpose

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Israeli public has been left questioning the purpose of the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) ongoing campaign in Gaza, where a recent ambush in the northern city of Beit Hanoun has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the military's strategy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters insist that military force is necessary to free the 50 remaining hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant group, but 21 months after the conflict began, neither goal has been fully achieved.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Israeli military's campaign in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of almost 60,000 Palestinians, with over 20,000 Hamas operatives killed, and the destruction of more than 20 of Hamas's 24 territorial battalions.
  • Despite the significant toll on Hamas, the group has been able to recruit thousands of new young fighters, and continues to exert effective internal control in areas not held by Israel.
  • The IDF's implicit strategy is to keep increasing the pressure on Hamas to agree to Israel's terms in the ceasefire talks, but this approach has been criticized as a "war of attrition" with no strategic purpose or objective.
  • A growing number of domestic critics, including former prime minister Ehud Olmert, have accused Israel of committing war crimes, and many Palestinians and international aid groups warn that the people of Gaza will continue to pay an intolerable price without a negotiated resolution.
  • Opinion polls show that an overwhelming majority of Israelis support a deal to secure the freedom of the hostages in Gaza, even if it means ending the war, which is already the longest in the country's history.
  • The Israeli military chief, Eyal Zamir, has said that if an agreement is reached, the IDF will pause and reposition along lines defined by the political echelon, but if no deal is reached, Zamir's directive is to intensify and expand combat operations as much as possible.
  • Disagreements have been reported between the IDF and Netanyahu's government over what Israel's next steps should be, with the IDF's senior leadership favoring a ceasefire deal to initially return at least half of the remaining hostages, but Netanyahu and his supporters insisting that military action is needed to eliminate Hamas.

Statistics:

  • 21 months: the length of time that the Israeli military has been campaigning in Gaza.
  • 50: the number of remaining hostages held by Hamas.
  • 60,000: the number of Palestinians killed in the conflict, according to local officials.
  • 20,000: the number of Hamas operatives killed, according to Israeli and US intelligence assessments.
  • 17: the number of years that Hamas has spent shaping Gaza in its own image.
  • 2: the number of years that Israel has spent shaping Gaza in its own image, according to an IDF reservist.
  • 35: the number of Israeli troops killed in Gaza since June 1.
  • 11: the number of Israeli troops killed in Gaza in the three months after Netanyahu broke a short-lived ceasefire in March.
  • 20: the number of hostages believed to be alive, including 5 children.

Sources:

  • Neri Zilber, "Israel's Gaza War: A War of Attrition with No Strategic Purpose", The Times of Israel (exact date unknown).
  • Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), "IDF Operations in Gaza".
  • United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), "Gaza Crisis".
  • Amnesty International, "Israel-Gaza: 'Without a negotiated resolution, the people of Gaza will continue to pay an intolerable price'".
  • Human Rights Watch, "Israel: Gaza Destruction, Population Transfer".
  • Jerusalem Post, "IDF's Eyal Zamir: 'If an agreement is reached, we will pause and reposition along lines defined by the political echelon'"

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