ISRAEL LIKELY TO FAIL IN DEFEATING HAMAS

Written by Michael Thervil

IDF Solider Photo by Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Is Israel likely to fail in defeating Hamas? Despite the Israeli assignation of Hamas leader Mohammed Siwar, it was reported by the Jerusalem Post that his death will “likely fail to break Hamas”, even though the body in the tunnel that was found was not confirmed to be Mohammed Sinwar. Currently there is one last Commander of Hamas still active in the Gaza strip, and it was reported that his name is Gaza Brigade Chief  Izz al-Din Haddad.

While the headline of the Jerusalem Post seems to catch the eyes of its readers and those that subscribe to its positioning on Hamas, it comes to no surprise to many people around the world that Israel has and will continue to fail in its mission to erratic the world of Hamas. The reason for this is simple; both Hamas and other factions of Iran’s Axis of Resistance have not only read and fully understand the Israeli playbook, but they have learned through experience how Israel and the Collective West thinks and what they think of them and thus are in the better position to anticipate what Israel will do on the battlefield.

It has been long said that not only does Hamas and other organizations that make up the Axis of Resistance take on leadership roles expecting to be assassinated at some point by the Israelis during their tenure, but Hamas and other organizations like it are not an army in the traditional sense. Instead, they are the physical embodiment of an idea. An idea unlike anything in the physical form cannot be easily broken or destroyed; it can only be transferred. It is this transference of an idea which has kept Hamas and other groups like it active since their conceptions.

Israel's three-point plan of fully militarily occupying the Gaza strip, engaging in a war of attrition, and deploying methods of  psychology with the aim of convincing the people of Gaza to refute Hamas, is a recipe for failure according to some geopolitical analysts. Another thing that both Israel and its western counterparts must understand is that there is no framework that exists that 100% differentiates someone who is actively resisting Israel's illegal occupation of Gaza from someone that is a part of Hamas. So, the Israeli idea of launching one mission to defeat Hamas in Gaza is flawed from the start and yet will prove itself to be more of a liability as time passes than an asset to Israel.

As of late, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has placed the number of Hamas members at roughly 20,000 – 25, 0000, but the reality is that the IDF has killed double that in terms of the civilian population in Gaza. Israel has accused Hamas fighters of hiding within the civilian population of Gaza. However, many people in and outside of Gaza have accused the IDF of using Gazans as human shields against the rocket attacks of Hamas.

While the IDF is actively looking to assassinate the last commanding leader of Hamas, Gaza Brigade Chief  Izz al-Din Haddad, it appears that Israel still appears more blinded than even in their failing pursuit to rid the world of Hamas. In doing so, Israel seems to have forgotten that Hamas and other groups like it are not led by an individual but by an idea, that gains strength every time Israel engages in acts on the world stage that makes them more and more illegitimate in the eyes of not only Gazans and the fighters of Hamas, but to the world at large.