Israel continues to fight without any achievements
Israel continues to fight without any achievements six months after Hamas’s terrorist assault from the Gaza Strip and the devastating massacre that killed 12,000 people and took 250 hostages. The result is a war that seems to make everyone a loser in some way.
This reality is evident on Sunday, marking six months of the 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 yet to return; in the ruins of Gaza, filled with the dead; and in Cairo, where negotiators are once again striving to achieve a ceasefire.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people, most of whom were women and children. Israel states its two main objectives are the release 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 increasingly isolated internationally, to the point where even its closest ally, the United States, is calling for greater attention to protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where over a million people are believed to be on the brink of famine.
The killing of seven aid workers by Israel has also fueled a wave of global condemnation, with prominent figures in Europe and America now calling for the suspension of arms sales to Israel.
Within Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu is the target of massive street protests demanding his removal due to his management of the war, although the majority of Israeli society generally supports the war against Hamas.
These protests also include many of the hostages’ families, who say Netanyahu prioritizes his political future over the lives of their loved ones. He continues the war to protect himself from political downfall and 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 concerned 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 IRGC commanders at the Iranian embassy 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 is becoming more entangled in Gaza, and so is Iran. As for the hostages, God knows how many are still alive. Israel is turning itself into an isolated rogue state.
The human nightmare in Gaza has led to months of anger accumulating around the world. In addition to the more than 33,000 killed, 45% of 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, according to the charity Oxfam, which is only 12% of their required food intake.
However, it seems that the killing of six international aid workers and their Palestinian driver from the World Central Kitchen organization has shifted the balance from rhetoric to action—a reality many see as the latest indication that the suffering of the Palestinian people does not provoke significant action.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, representing three of Israel’s main supporters, reacted strongly to the attack on aid workers in Gaza.
However, Hamas has also lost an estimated 10,000 fighters—about one-third of its combatants—and nearly all of its rocket stockpile, though many of its commanders are believed to still be alive and it continues to have significant support from a 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 there are no winners, but there are many losers.
