When Israel decided to decimate the Gaza Stripin response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced two objectives to justify the violence: destroy the Islamic group and rescue the hostages. A year later, none of them have been achieved. Of the 251 Israelis captured, 101 still remain missing, under the control of Palestinian forces. Regarding Hamas, the organization “Armed Conflict Location and Event Data” (ACLED) released a report on Sunday 6th in which it estimates the deaths of 8,500 (Tel-Aviv says 17,000) from 25 thousand to 30 thousand fighters. Significant loss, but far from representing the end of the militia. The text concludes: “Although Hamas no longer has the ability or desire to govern a destroyed Gaza, it retains the capacity to continue fighting a low-intensity conflict.” Furthermore, “presence and operations persist in the West Bank.” In short, “the future of Palestine will most likely include Hamas.”
Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and public opinion researcher in Israel, says that the specific issue of Gaza still divides opinions internally, especially the issue of hostages. “The country was unable to unite in memorial services for October 7th, which symbolizes the continued open wound, at least from those kidnapped, which is connected to the politics of war in Gaza.”
