Netanyahu Vows Total Victory in Gaza as Israel Intensifies Military Operations

Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza entered its fifth month this week, as negotiations on a cease-fire and a hostage release appear to be at an impasse

“Total victory is within our reach,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address on Wednesday before later going on to detail Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip by saying it has destroyed a substantial part of Hamas’ battalions, adding that Israel is “mopping up the remaining terrorists with ongoing raids.”

Total victory is within our reach

However, during the week, there were persistent reports of Hamas reestablishing its presence in the northern Gaza Strip—the area that the Israeli military focused on when it began its war on Hamas.

Hamas stunned Israel on Oct. 7 when hundreds of its terrorists stormed its southern border. In their violent rampage, they killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, wounding thousands of others. The terrorist organization also abducted 250 people, most of them Israeli civilians. One hundred twenty-one were released a few weeks into the war as part of a deal with Israel that saw the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

In response to the attack, Israel launched a massive air, ground, and naval offensive against Hamas. At the onset of the offensive, Netanyahu set out the goals for the war, which were to topple Hamas, rid it of its military capabilities, and release the hostages.

Israel is fighting its most justified war

“Israel is fighting its most justified war,” said Matan Kahana, a member of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. “But this is nothing like the wars Israelis have been used to, that end swiftly with a clear-cut victory. This is going to be a lengthy war in a territory in which the enemy is deeply entrenched in urban surroundings.”

Kahana is a member of the centrist National Unity party, which had been in the opposition and hastily joined the government days after the war began.

Since the beginning of the fighting, the Hamas-run Health Ministry has reported the death of over 27,000 Palestinians. Tens of thousands of others have been injured in the war. Much of Gaza’s population has been displaced and moved to the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which the Israeli military has not operated yet. Over 220 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has ruled the territory since it took over the territory violently from the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2007. Its rule has been unthreatened, as it restricted many personal freedoms for Palestinians as it continued on its path to reach its stated goal of the destruction of the State of Israel.

Videos on social media in recent days showed Hamas policemen marching dozens of alleged thieves in the streets of the northern Gaza Strip, indicating the organization still has a hold on the area. Masked gunmen have also been seen taking over trucks of humanitarian aid entering Gaza in an attempt to control its distribution. In addition, civilians who were displaced from the northern Gaza Strip have been gradually returning to the area, although most of the housing units there have been reduced to rubble.

These scenes have come after a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, specifically from the northern part of the territory.

There have been increasing voices within Israel criticizing this move, saying it was gnawing away at the previous military achievement that had cleared the area of Hamas control.

“This isn’t in line with the goals,” Kahana told The Media Line. “The State of Israel needs to act to ensure that no authority figure from Hamas, be it military or civilian, stays alive. Whoever is associated with Hamas, a Nazi organization that committed crimes against humanity, needs to die in battle.”

“It is clear that without full occupation of the Gaza Strip and the complete military hold of the territory, the situation will go back to what it was beforehand,” said Moshe Solomon, deputy speaker of the Knesset, from the far-right Religious Zionism party. “This is why we are talking about a long war to reach our goals.”

According to Mkhaimer Abusada, a political scientist at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City, Hamas has managed to restore its presence in the northern Gaza Strip.

“After the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the north, Hamas succeeded in re-grouping itself and putting police on the ground, dealing with looters and merchants who are raising prices,” Abusada told The Media Line.

Israel’s current military focus in Gaza is surrounding the southern city of Khan Yunis. Initially, it was thought that Khan Yunis was where at least some of Hamas’ leadership was believed to be hiding, possibly together with hostages as human shields. As the army maintains its presence there for several weeks, with no progress in finding hostages or Hamas leadership, it seems Khan Yunis is no longer the solution.

It is also unclear how much of Hamas’ intricate web of tunnel infrastructure the Israeli military has managed to destroy. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement, it has located hundreds of tunnel shafts in Khan Yunis alone. While the IDF claims it has been successful in neutralizing many of the tunnels, unnamed military officials were quoted in several media outlets saying Israel had underestimated the tunnel threat, with its progress making only a small dent in Hamas’ flagship enterprise.

Still remaining for the Israeli army is the city of Rafah. The southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, it also borders Egypt and is currently the host of almost 2 million displaced residents of Gaza.

Without Rafah, it is like we achieved nothing

“Without Rafah, it is like we achieved nothing,” said Almog Cohen, a member of Knesset from the extreme-right Otzma Yehudit party. “Rafah is akin to the head and the oxygen supply of Hamas. To kill and suffocate Hamas, we need to kill the head.”

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior Hamas commanders are believed to be either in the underground of either Rafah or Khan Yunis. Netanyahu and senior military officers have vowed to kill Hamas’ leadership.

According to Cohen, some of the Palestinians should be allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip so the IDF can operate in Rafah.

“The goal of the war is to destroy Hamas in all of Gaza, and to deal with Rafah, part of the population there needs to be moved,” he told The Media Line. Referring to the population there as “supporters of terrorism,” Cohen said, “You cannot shoot over their heads; it doesn’t work that way.”

Abusada said Hamas’ control over Rafah, including the crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, has remained steadfast since the beginning of the crisis.

“Hamas police has never disappeared in Rafah, and much of the humanitarian assistance that enters through there is escorted by Hamas,” he explained. “Internal problems, including those resulting from the crowding of Palestinians in Rafah, are being resolved by Hamas police. It is basically Hamas police and civil servants are running the show at the crossing on the Palestinian side.”

“This is a complete lie,” said Solomon. “Hamas has lost all its ability to command and control and only has sporadic control. Its leaders are constantly on the run.”

According to the IDF, it has targeted tens of thousands of Hamas military sites and killed thousands of terrorists from the organization’s ranks.

Additionally, the continuous flow of humanitarian into Gaza is subject to fierce criticism from parts of the Israeli public.

“It is a mistake to allow for aid to enter without oversight,” said Cohen, who believes the aide should be used as a means to pressure Hamas. “The lack of aid could lead to dissent against Hamas in Gaza.”

“Israel needs to make sure that this aide does not reach Hamas’ hands,” Kahana added.

For many Israelis who want to see the hostages released, humanitarian aid is a leverage that can be used to pressure Hamas to agree to a deal. Others believe only continued armed pressure will secure their release.

“The only way to release them is to apply intense military pressure to cause the other side to surrender,” Solomon told The Media Line.

As the war drags on, the political unity within Israel that characterized the first weeks of fighting is gradually waning. The fractures that existed before, during a year when supporters of the Netanyahu government and its opponents fought bitterly over the country’s future, are becoming increasingly visible again. The National Unity party, led by former military chiefs Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, has begun to raise questions about Netanyahu’s intentions. The main issue of contention is the future of the Gaza Strip, a topic the Israeli premier appears keen to avoid.

“The right thing to do is to discuss this matter seriously,” said Kahana. “On the one hand, Israel wants to guarantee it has the freedom to operate in Gaza, but on the other hand, there must be no element of governance left in the hands of Hamas.”

Netanyahu has been facing decreasing popularity since the war began. Seen as one of the major figures responsible for Israel’s greatest military failure, the political future of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister is in question.

There have been increasing reports of tensions within the cabinet between the National Unity members and Netanyahu. This has led to speculation on whether the party will resign from its war cabinet position, a move which may have a ripple effect that will eventually lead to early elections.

“We are not preoccupied with the timing of when we leave the government, but rather with how we influence the government and the decision-making process,” said Kahana. “As long as our forces are fighting in Gaza and the situation in the whole region is so volatile, we belong in the government. As long as we feel that we can influence the course of the war and the negotiations regarding the release of hostages, we remain in the government.”