Israel continues to fight without achievements
Israel continues to fight without achievements six months after the terrorist raid by Hamas from the Gaza Strip and the devastating massacre that killed 12,000 people and took 250 hostages. What has resulted is a war that seems to make everyone a loser in some way.
This reality is evident on Sunday, marking six months of this war in all its arenas: in the streets of Tel Aviv, where tens of thousands of protesters gather, pleading for the freedom of hostages who have not yet returned; in the ruins of Gaza, filled with the dead; and in Cairo, where negotiators are once again striving for a ceasefire.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people, most of whom were women and children. Israel claims its two main goals are the freedom of the remaining 130 hostages and the destruction of the militant group Hamas, a goal critics say is overly ambitious and impossible.
Meanwhile, Israel is becoming more and more isolated internationally, to the point where even its closest ally, the United States, is calling for more attention to the protection of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where it is believed that over a million people are on the brink of famine.
The killing of seven aid workers by Israel has also fueled a wave of global condemnation, and now prominent figures in Europe and the United States are calling for the suspension of arms sales to Israel.
Inside Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is the target of massive street protests demanding his removal due to his handling of the war, although the majority of Israeli society generally supports the war against Hamas.
These protests also include many of the families of the hostages, who say Netanyahu prioritizes his political future over the lives of their loved ones. He continues the war to avoid political downfall and to steer clear of legal troubles in court.
On Saturday night, tens of thousands gathered for anti-government protests in Tel Aviv, which the police eventually dispersed by force.
Many inside and outside Israel are worried that Israel might be on the brink of a direct conflict with Iran, especially after months of simmering violence that has now reached a boiling point with the killing of commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Iranian embassy building in Damascus.
Yossi Mekelberg, a member of the Chatham House think tank in London, says there are no winners in such wars. The situation in Gaza is a complete disaster from every angle. Israel gets more entangled in Gaza, and Iran too, while regarding the hostages, only God knows how many are still alive. Israel is turning into an isolated rogue state.
The human nightmare in Gaza has led to months of anger accumulating around the world. In addition to the over 33,000 killed, 45% of the buildings have been destroyed, 1.9 million people have been displaced, and about 300,000 are trapped in northern Gaza, forced to survive on about 245 calories a day, just 12% of their nutritional needs, according to the charity Oxfam.
But it seems that the killing of six international aid workers and their Palestinian driver from the World Central Kitchen organization was what shifted the balance from rhetoric to action, a reality that many see as the latest sign that the suffering of the Palestinian people does not provoke significant action.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, from three countries considered main supporters of Israel, reacted sharply to the attack on aid workers in Gaza.
However, Hamas is estimated by analysts to have lost about ten thousand fighters, one-third of its militants, and nearly all of its rocket arsenal. Yet, it is believed that many of its commanders are still alive and that it enjoys the support of a significant minority in Gaza.
Mekelberg from Chatham House says that from every perspective, you see parties that have been harmed or are being destroyed in these six months. It now seems that no side is winning, but there are many losers.