The war against Hamas is well over 80 days old, and there is every indication that the fighting is not going to end soon.
Anyone who thought it would be a cakewalk through the streets and neighborhoods of Gaza against a weak opponent has been sorely mistaken.
The massive gains made by the IDF, with over 8,000 Hamas operatives reportedly killed, numerous tunnels exposed and destroyed, and the terrorists’ capabilities severely compromised, have been muted by the high cost of casualties – both on the Israeli side, with the toll of IDF soldiers who have fallen in the ground war reaching 164 as of Wednesday, and on the Palestinian side, with civilian deaths in Gaza in the thousands and the effects of the devastation everywhere.
Just as painful has been the inability to locate and free any of the remaining 140 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. From all accounts, efforts to reach another pause in the fighting and a deal like last month’s, which enabled the release of dozens of hostages, have been stymied by Hamas intransigence.
Israel’s government has been repeating the same mantra since the beginning of the war, insisting that its two main goals are eradicating any threat from Hamas and getting the hostages back home. After almost 12 weeks into the war, those goals are not even close to being achieved.
IDF Chief of Staff: it could take months to finish off Hamas
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday that it could take months to arrest or kill Hamas’s top leaders and “many months” to finish fighting Hamas.
Halevi implied that he recognized the broader diplomatic and political context, which would allow only a partial all-out war for that long. He said the IDF would adjust to different intensity levels in the fighting as needed.
“This war has critical goals that are not easy to achieve and take place in a complex environment. Therefore, this war will continue for many months, and we will act in different ways so that our achievements will be sustained over time,” said Halevi.
Halevi’s sober assessments are a refreshing change from the macho statements regularly issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during their frequent evening addresses to the nation, in which they blindly ensure total Israeli victory in a transparent attempt to boost morale.
The going is slow and painstaking, and as Halevi hinted, the international community's pressure to agree to a ceasefire without achieving our goals is growing stronger all the time. From the UN Security Council to human rights groups and countries throughout the West, the carnage of October 7 and the continued cruel imprisonment of the hostages are old news and disconnected from Israel’s offensive against Hamas.
Thankfully, the US, and especially President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, understand the cause and effect at play and realize that the untenable situation in Gaza is solely due to Hamas. That understanding has enabled Israel to pursue its goals with its greatest friend in its corner. However, that support should not be taken for granted, and as the war drags on, the pressure from the US will increase as well.
There’s also internal pressure at play, with the movement surrounding the hostages' families gaining more traction in their call for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages as the priority over the current offensive. They don’t buy the argument presented by the government and the army that military pressure is the only way to drag Hamas to an agreement that would enable more hostages to be released.
Israel needs to remain firm against the forces, both external and internal, that would prevent it from achieving its end goals.
The revelations that are still emerging two and a half months after the atrocities of October 7 show that Israel needs to stay the course, realize there is no quick fix, accept the pain and anguish that comes with losing the best people that Israel has to offer, and strengthen all of our resolves that the war we’re fighting is just and necessary.
The deaths of the October 7 terror victims and the 164 soldiers who have fallen in the battle to eliminate the Hamas threat and ensure that another October 7 can’t occur must not be in vain.
Even if the road ahead is long and difficult, we must carry on, hoping that a future generation of Israelis can one day live in peace.