The recently signed ceasefire in Gaza, without a clear victor, proved a temporary sigh of relief for Palestinians. The Israel-Hamas war has exposed the vulnerabilities and limitations of the Israeli defense system. Neither side has achieved its aims in this war. Therefore, the future of this ceasefire remains ambiguous.
Shift in Israel’s Regional Outlook
Israel, despite having military supremacy over Hamas, felt relief by the ceasefire, an apparent end to the war. Since October 7, 2023, it has been using the victim card to justify its war crimes and genocidal operations in the Gaza Strip. The Western political elite and establishment remained oblivious to the fact that the IDF has killed many more Palestinian civilians than the Israelis killed by Hamas in the October 7 attack. However, the actual damage that Israel suffered in this war was that the perception of it being an invincible power, which it gained through its victories in the 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973 wars, was lost. Israel’s comprehensive victory in the 1967 war established its military supremacy in the region and beyond. Even the significantly improved Egyptian Army was unable to counter the Israeli forces in 1973.
In the 1967 war, the Israeli Air Force proved superior to all the regional countries’ air forces and was successful in breaching their air defenses. Egyptian, Syrian, and Iraqi air forces suffered immense losses during this war. In the recent Israel-Hamas war, most of Gaza’s civilian population was killed by Israel through air bombardment. This aerial bombardment resulted in over 50 million tonnes of rubble of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. However, Israel’s rival, Hamas, had no aerial power. It also lacked an anti-aerial defense system. Even Hamas’ missiles were neutralized by the Israeli antimissile defense system.
Nonetheless, the USA and France’s assistance to Israel to counter the Iranian missile attack indicates that the latter’s air defense system is incapable of fending off the modern missiles and is ineffective against major regional powers. This event proved Israel’s portrayal of itself as the only safe haven for Jews in the world wrong. A significant number of Israeli Jews migrated to Europe since the commencement of this war, something highly disgraceful for the illegitimate Zionist state.
Although the emergence of scores of Hamas fighters on the streets of Gaza after the ceasefire proved terrifying for the Israeli Defence Forces, the resistance group also paid a huge price. More than one and a half percent of the Gazan population, 46000 people, were killed during this war. Moreover, the people who survived in this war have lost their jobs, houses, and markets. This implies that their return to normalcy will be hard. An UN-World Bank report estimated the loss of around $18.5 billion in infrastructural damages in Gaza. This will further radicalize the Palestinian population, increasing the difficulties of the illegitimate Zionist state.
People around the world, including the Western countries, are sympathizing with the Gazans and see Israel and its Western allies as aggressors and war criminals. Israel and its allies attempted to regain Western citizens’ support by dragging Iran directly into the war. However, the prudent policies of the Iranian government failed their plans. By no means, can Israel impose itself on the native people of Palestine. Its war crimes in Gaza have strengthened the Palestinian resistance more than ever. The displaced Palestinian population will provide new recruits to Hamas.
The Path to Peace
History demonstrates that a deal with Hamas to accept will also be ineffective in stopping the Palestinian resistance. Hamas will be replaced by another resistance group, just like the Palestine Liberation Organization, if it agrees to accept Israel as a legitimate state or shows any leniency towards it. This implies that Israel’s deals and accords with Arab states and any Palestinian resistance group will never prove to be a permanent solution. Israel’s ambition of establishing a single state, with Palestinians living under its oppression, is merely a farce.
The Israeli establishment and its regional and extra-regional allies must realize that the only solution to end this conflict is to end the fundamental cause of the conflict, which is the forceful displacement of the Palestinian people and invading their lands. An inclusive dialogue with all the stakeholders under international law and the UN charter can only provide a permanent solution to the conflict. Israel’s forceful invasion of Palestine will only lead to further chaos and instability in the region. In addition, the Palestinian cause will grow much stronger. So, the ultimate solution to this conflict is to give Palestinians their legitimate right.
Taut Bataut – is a researcher and writer that publishes on South Asian geopolitics