The "Dahiya doctrine," an Israeli military strategy involving the destruction of civilian infrastructure in order to pressure hostile regimes, is a legacy of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. At that time, it involved the destruction of a district in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Shiite militia. Five months after the start of Israel's retaliation in Gaza in response to the massacre of civilians by Hamas militiamen on October 7, 2023, analysis of satellite images shows that this approach has been methodically applied to almost every town in the narrow strip of land.
This unrestricted use of firepower means that the distinction between civilian and military targets no longer exists. The Israeli army has blamed the Palestinian militia for this, as its infrastructure is interwoven into the urban fabric of Gaza, one of the most densely populated territories in the world. The tactical argument is put into perspective, however, by statements from Israeli officials who openly point to another objective.
"Whoever returns here, if they return here after, will find scorched earth. No houses, no agriculture, no nothing. They have no future," said Colonel Yogev Bar-Shesht, deputy head of the Civil Administration in charge of the Palestinian territories, on November 4.
Under siege
The testimonies published by Le Monde give full meaning to this scorched-earth strategy. It is as much about memory, with the desecration of Gaza's cemeteries on an industrial scale, as it is about the future, with the destruction of the narrow strip of land's universities and hundreds of schools.
In January, the United Nations estimated that 90% of educational facilities had suffered "significant damage." And the devastation doesn't stop there. Satellite images also show the damage inflicted by Israeli army operations on agricultural land, which is also under threat from the creation of a buffer zone along Israeli territory.
The frustration expressed by Israel's Western allies over the difficulties of delivering food aid to a territory threatened by a famine man-made by the Israelis foreshadows the battle that must be waged to rebuild Gaza, once the fighting is over and the hostages who are still alive have finally been freed, a horizon that unfortunately continues to grow ever more distant. Aid and reconstruction go hand in hand. Unlike other cities recently ravaged by military operations in the Middle East, Gaza is likely to remain under siege.
Without genuine pressure on Israel, no real reconstruction will be possible in a Gaza Strip that has become largely uninhabitable. It is pointless to invoke the two-state solution if this martyred territory remains a field of ruins. The efforts of the United States and European allies, who all claim a role in this conflict, should focus on removing the obstacles put up by Israel. In this tragic context, the food drops carried out by the US and other countries in an attempt to respond to the emergency should not be taken for anything other than what they are: proof of impotence in the face of Israeli intransigence, or of a lack of willingness.