JERUSALEM – As Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza continues into its ninth month following the catastrophic October 7 massacre, government leaders and defense experts are confronting the hard reality that a comprehensive and definitive victory over the terrorist organization remains elusive. The war, prompted by the most severe antisemitic assault since the Holocaust—where over 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered, mutilated, or abducted by Hamas and its partners—was intended to dismantle Hamas’s terror infrastructure, restore security along Israel’s southern border, and return hostages captured in the initial attack.
Despite intense ground and aerial operations, Israeli military officials have increasingly acknowledged the limits of force alone. Senior sources within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), led by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, stress that while Hamas’s leadership and military assets can be greatly diminished, the underlying ideology—rooted in Iran-backed radicalism and resembling groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda—cannot be eradicated by conventional arms. The persistent reconstitution of such organizations, their use of Gaza’s civilian population as shields, and the enduring support they receive from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps complicate any notion of a swift or complete victory.
The cost of an extended campaign has become a pressing issue, as hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists shoulder enormous burdens. The mobilization, unprecedented in recent decades, disrupts everyday life, strains families, and impacts the broader economy. Reports from the IDF reveal rising fatigue and ongoing concern for maintaining both military effectiveness and national morale, as reservists continually operate in challenging urban environments and face an adversary embedded within civilian centers.
Calls for total occupation of the Gaza Strip—a theoretical path to permanent defeat of Hamas—are met by governmental hesitation. Israeli authorities are mindful of the potential humanitarian, legal, and diplomatic consequences. The leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, has instead reaffirmed goals focused on reducing Hamas’s ability to strike Israel, returning innocent hostages, and establishing robust deterrence. This approach reflects lessons learned from prior operations against Iranian-backed proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and various militias in Syria and Iraq, where the eradication of terrorist leadership failed to quell the underlying ideology or regional threats.
Israel’s campaign is part of a broad defensive struggle against an entire axis of Iranian-backed terror groups, from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon and beyond. The ongoing war highlights the strategic necessity for measures such as advanced missile defense (including Iron Dome), greater intelligence coordination, and alliances fostered through initiatives like the Abraham Accords. Simultaneously, Israel’s leaders assert that further concessions or withdrawals would only embolden the axis of resistance—lessons vividly recalled from the 2005 Gaza disengagement and subsequent hostilities.
A particularly painful aspect of the ongoing conflict is the fate of more than one hundred hostages still held by Hamas. Unlike convicted terrorists, whose potential release in prisoner exchanges is contentious but sometimes necessary, the innocence of these captives and their treatment at the hands of terrorists remains a focus of Israeli diplomatic and military strategy. Operations to secure their release are ongoing, complicated both by operational risk and Hamas’s exploitation of hostages as bargaining chips.
Internationally, Israel faces intense scrutiny and, in some quarters, condemnation for civilian casualties caused by Hamas’s embedded tactics. Israel maintains that it acts within the bounds of international law and that responsibility for the suffering of Gaza residents lies squarely with Hamas’s exploitation of civilian areas for terrorist purposes.
As the military campaign endures, national discourse in Israel reflects growing clarity: the expectation of a rapid, comprehensive victory is unrealistic. Instead, the nation prepares for a prolonged period of vigilant defense and adaptive strategy. Major advances in Israeli resilience, technological innovation, and tactical readiness reinforce a collective understanding that perfect security cannot be attained, but determined vigilance remains Israel’s enduring response to the persistent threat posed by Iranian-sponsored terror.
Ultimately, as Israeli society and its leaders absorb the lessons of this war, the imperative to prevent another October 7 and to protect innocent life guides every operational and moral decision. The war in Gaza is not just a fight against a terrorist group but against a regional axis determined to destroy Israel’s future. The nation’s resolve, forged in adversity, will define its path forward, ensuring that while the threat may endure, so too will the commitment to survival and security.
