Israel can contain Hamas without reoccupying all of Gaza - opinion

Achieving 'total victory' against Hamas in Gaza, including disarmament, is an unrealistic goal for Israel, according to Efraim Inbar. He argues that Israel can effectively contain Hamas without resorting to a full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, despite political pressure for such an outcome.

“

No international stabilization force is ready to step in, while the planned technocrat interim government has been intimidated out of entering the Strip by Hamas.

Inbar points to Israel's past experiences, noting that the IDF has not succeeded in eliminating or disarming Hamas in the West Bank, a territory under Israeli military control since 1967. Polls consistently show Hamas remains popular among Palestinians, even after the October 7 attacks. Furthermore, Hamas has demonstrated resilience, rebuilding weapons-smuggling networks and actively recruiting new fighters, making the prospect of complete elimination unlikely.

“

Moreover, Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for the Board of Peace for Gaza, reported to the UN Security Council that establishing an effective transitional civilian authority in Gaza is not possible without first overcoming Hamas’s resistance to disarming.

While the idea of conquering all of Gaza might seem tempting for a "decisive" victory, Inbar questions its strategic wisdom. Such a conquest would place the responsibility for Gaza's approximately two million impoverished residents directly on Israel. This burden, he notes, is already a challenge for the international community under the Trump Plan for Gaza, adopted by the UN Security Council.

“

Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, has been weakened but remains well-armed and holds veto power over the Lebanese government’s decisions.

Moreover, a full occupation would fundamentally alter the IDF's role. Currently operating in less populated areas of Gaza, the army would become an occupation force among a civilian population that Hamas has, for years, educated to harbor animosity towards Israelis. This shift could prove detrimental to the IDF's operational effectiveness and Israel's long-term security interests.

“

Terror armies such as Hezbollah and Hamas cannot be eliminated when their ideology commands broad support among the populations in which they operate and when they continue to receive military aid from abroad. Iran has enabled its proxies to survive.