Victory requires keeping Hamas on the defensive.
The IDF has overall performed really well in the fighting in Gaza by comparison to how other militaries have fared in dense urban warfare against Muslim terrorists. (Anyone who wants to imagine the nightmarish future of Europe and some parts of America can look to battles in Gaza, Iran, and Chechnya against a rooted Islamist insurgency operating amidst a supportive population.)
However the underlying problems that led to the strategic errors in Oct 7 remain. First communications are bad. Core errors and lives continue to be lost because information is not getting where it needs to go. The different moving parts of a large military operation are not in sync. That was catastrophic on Oct 7, slowing and confusing the response with horrifying results.
It’s still an issue.
The larger issue though is that while Israel excels at offense, it’s bad at defense, and that Hamas (like most terrorists) operate by learning the patterns of their targets, finding weak spots and repetition, and then exploiting them to launch attacks.
Terrorists don’t defend, they become mobile, they blend into the civilian population (which is where most of the hostages were kept) and then pop out again to carry out attacks.
This time around (unlike previous attacks on Hamas), Israel is actually thinking about how to eliminate Hamas infrastructure and control territory on the ground. That’s important, but it also creates patterns and can put IDF soldiers on the defensive.
Both of those have now been effectively exploited by Hamas.
To retake Gaza, the IDF leadership needs to think deeply about the lessons of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Israel’s own lessons in Lebanon where terrorists were initially weak, but focused on staying in the fight and maintaining continued attrition of civilized forces. That is the Hamas game plan in Gaza. To beat it, Israel needs to operate offensively, avoid predictability and focus on keeping Hamas on the defensive so it does not have the opportunity to regroup and carry out attacks.
This is where the proposals for any kind of truce, let alone a proposed 2-month pause to the fighting in exchange for the hostages, are disastrous. We’ve already previously seen the consequences of giving Hamas any time to regroup. In exchange for the release of some hostages, Hamas was able to move other hostages and its military assets, regroup and launch new attacks.
Victory means pushing Hamas. The more breathing room the terrorists have, the more they can settle into a new routine of pop up attacks, studying and exploiting IDF patterns, scoring occasional victories, damaging morale and building up pressure for an Israeli withdrawal.
Crown says
It would certainly help if the rest of the world (with a few commendable exceptions) were not on the side of the Nazis.
It’s as if the Allies were being brow-beaten by the world media and ever-so-enlightened world opinion, to go easy on the Nazis.
Sickening.
Walter Sieruk says
Near the end of this jihad article it reads “the proposals for any kind of truce, let alone a proposed 2-month pause to the fighting in exchange for the hostages, are disastrous. We’ve already previously seen the consequences of giving Hamas any time to regroup. In exchange for the release of some hostages, Hamas was able to move other hostages and its military assets, regroup and launch new attacks.”
That is so very true For a “ceasefire” in that Islam- Hamas war.is a fool agreement on the part of the governmental heads of the State of Israel.
All any continued “ceasefire” would do is to give time for the jihadists ,who belong to that murderous jihad entity Hamas, to regroup and then viciously attack Israel again and viciously murder her people.
In other words, Hamas will, definitely, break any ceasefire agreement and engage in Islamic terror/murder attack against the Jewish people who are the citizens of the State of Israel .
Therefore, in a further extended “ceasefire” the jihadists of Hamas would continue to engage in more murderous jihad terror attacks against Israel and her people.
This reason why this is so is because the jihadists of that demonic and deadly jihad entity have no honor.
Walter Sieruk says
The very last sentence of this jihadwatch article is ,truly , right on the mark when it informs its reader that “Victory means pushing Hamas. The more breathing room the terrorists have, the more they can settle into a new routine of pop up attacks, studying and exploiting IDF patterns, scoring occasional victories, damaging morale and building up pressure for an Israeli withdrawal.”
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With that above, statement, it’s very filling to add that Hamas, should be dealt with defeated and even destroyed is to hit it hard , hit it long and keep on hitting it with strong powerful forceful military strikes until it’s unable to raise up again with its ugly , vicious and deadly jihad Islamic head.
As its been wisely said, “Half measures in war is folly and madness.”
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Israel needs to just massacre all the Hamas combatants they can find: take no prisoners. Let’s see how long the “world’s” outrage can be sustained! Also, give the ? to the ICJ
maria says
Yes that is the only way to save Jews and Israel and even the whole world
pete says
I second that mate
James Hoagland says
In the Ukraine War waged by Russia Putin gave a clear and decisive strategy that was extremely effective against the Ukrainian military. The coordination of overhead assets-satellite, drones, artillery, and planes- all of which has led to a kill ratio of about 10 to 1.
In the war with Hamas this ratio is not unbalanced enough but the point is the tactical use of these assets could be used much better to achieve the desired result of wiping out Hamas as a military entity in Gaza.
libertyORdeath says
Israel has been “keeping Hamas on the defensive” for DECADES now.
The time has come to DESTROY them!