According to some media outlets, President Trump seems to be disappointed with Netanyahu’s continued war in Gaza. Trump, it appears, cannot understand why the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could beat three Arab armies, plus auxiliaries from four other Arabs states in six days, while it has taken the IDF a year and seven months to deal with Hamas in Gaza - a terrorist organization – and no match for the IDF. That being said, he has given Israel a green light for a crushing campaign against the terror group.
While Trump’s agenda is to end conflicts as quickly as possible and, get on with making America “rich again,” he fails to grasp the delicate situation regarding the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. The IDF has exercised extreme caution in order to prevent any accidental harm to the hostages, which has, as a result, slowed progress. The reality is, Israel may have to end the war or, at the very least, agree to an extended cease-fire, in order to get the hostages home.
The Biden administration’s opposition to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Rafah was also a factor in slowing down the progress of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Biden was also against the IDF positioning itself in the Philadelphi Corridor, which the Hamas terrorists used, in collusion with Egyptian authorities, to smuggle arms into Gaza.
Israel paused its campaign against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on several occasions in order to secure the release of hostages. In addition, the mobilization of a large number of reservists to deal with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon, necessitated transferring some forces from Gaza and moving them north. Iranian proxies initiated another front in Judea and Samaria, requiring Israel to further deplete IDF forces from Gaza.
All that notwithstanding, the motivation and skills of the IDF soldiers were able to turn around a situation that appeared to be Israel’s weakness and vulnerability.
Watching Israeli TV, the Iranians and their proxies concluded that the large and angry demonstrations in Israel, along with the refusal of some pilots and other IDF personnel to serve, were an indication that Israel was imploding internally. The Arab media were gleeful at what they saw, failing to understand that in a democracy such expressions are possible.
The October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 251 into Gaza’s dungeons, prompted large numbers of IDF reservists to volunteer for the fight even before they were called. The surge of reservist soldiers exceeded all expectations. The same Israelis who might have protested the Judicial reforms of the Netanyahu government, were eager to fight and die for their country.
By the end of year 2024, Israel managed to restore its deterrence. The leadership of both Hamas and Hezbollah were wiped out and, their missile arsenals were depleted and/or completely destroyed. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, perished in an Israeli attack that destroyed his underground bunker in South Beirut. Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, who masterminded October 7th, was killed in Khan Yunis. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, was eliminated in Tehran, during a visit to Iran.
The fanatical Islamist ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hamas and PIJ, cannot be wiped out. Similarly, bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities will not end the threat from Iran. The regime could very well restore its nuclear program since it has the know-how and the will to do it. Bombing its nuclear sites, even if fully successful, would only delay. Thus, the Ayatollah’s regime would continue to constitute an existential threat to Israel. Therefore, the only way to alter the threat is by supporting regime change.
If a coalition, led by the US, could disarm Hamas and PIJ operatives and send them into exile to some Arab states, and all the Israeli hostages were safely returned, a final deal could be made. Israel would end the war in Gaza, withdraw the IDF troops from most of Gaza but keep a security zone inside the Strip, such as the Philadelphi Corridor.
The economic and emotional burden imposed on the IDF soldiers has been heavy and difficult to endure. Many of the IDF reserve combat soldiers have served hundreds of successive days in close combat. They are physically and psychologically exhausted. At home, their wives and children have had to endure without the family “bread winner,” as their businesses have suffered in the process. And yet the determination and motivation of the soldiers and their families remain strong.
This week this writer met with a group of wounded Israeli combat soldiers who are touring a number of Jewish communities. Itay, a 20-years old Golani brigade fighter whose body was perforated by shrapnel survived thanks to the efficiency of the army medics and doctors. When asked if Israel should end the war in Gaza he replied, “Not until we have wiped out the Hamas killers…” Captain Kayam, 25, a combat engineer officer who was critically wounded when the structure he entered in order to rescue two of his soldiers was detonated by a booby trap. When he was carried onto the helicopter he couldn’t breathe because a fragment entered his neck. The medic thought he wouldn’t pull through but the team worked quickly and they reversed their decision, taking him to the hospital instead of the mortuary. Capt. Kayam’s life was saved. He did, however, spend more than twelve months in the hospital undergoing dozens of operations. Both young men are now miraculously walking, breathing, and functioning. When asked if Israel should end the war in Gaza, Kayam stated resolutely, “Not until we have eliminated Hamas in Gaza, and all of our hostages are returned.”
President Trump wants to end wars and conflicts, as does Israel. However, knowing that Hamas and its patron, the Islamic Republic of Iran, seek to eradicate Israel and the US means this conflict is bigger than war in Gaza. The war in Gaza can end only when the hostages are returned, and Hamas and PIJ terrorists surrender their arms and leave Gaza.
Image via Pxbarn.