Middle East - Gaza war: Can Israel eliminate Hamas?
The Gaza war, which has been going on for ten weeks, has brought great suffering to the population of the Palestinian coastal region. According to the health authority, which is close to the Islamist Hamas, around 19,000 people have been killed. Entire neighborhoods lie in ruins.
Following the worst massacre in Israel's history, in which terrorists from Hamas and other groups murdered their way through Israeli border towns, Israel is attacking positions in the Gaza Strip. Will the country destroy the military and political leadership of the Islamist organization?
What is Israel itself saying?
The country wants Hamas to no longer pose a threat to Israel in future. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that his country would therefore continue the war against the group "until absolute victory". He had previously drawn a comparison with Germany.
The country had changed after the Nazi dictatorship and had undergone enormous changes towards civilization. This must also be the main effort in the Gaza Strip after the destruction of Hamas.
What do the Palestinians think?
The political activist and columnist Jamal Zakkut from the West Bank says that he does not believe it is possible to eliminate Hamas, which is popular with many Palestinians. Its popularity is further fueled by Israel's actions in the war and in the occupied West Bank.
According to recent polls, Hamas' reputation rose after the massacre in Israel and the resulting war in Gaza. According to the survey, more than 40 percent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support Hamas. Only 1 percent of respondents in the West Bank and 17 percent in the Gaza Strip believe that Israel can destroy Hamas. Almost two thirds expect Hamas to continue to rule the Gaza Strip in the future.
What does Hamas itself say?
The head of the Islamist group believes it will continue to exist after the war. Plans for the Gaza Strip after the war that do not include Hamas are an "illusion", he said recently. According to the Islamists, their goal is to wipe out Israel.
Qatar, which is mediating in the war and is considered a supporter of Islamist groups such as Hamas, also believes that the destruction of the terrorist organization is hardly possible. Hamas is part of society in the Gaza Strip and also in the West Bank.
What do experts think?
In Israel, people from all camps are in favour of eliminating Hamas after 7 October, emphasizes military expert Harel Chorev from Tel Aviv University in an interview with US broadcaster CNN. "Any organization can be eliminated," he said. "Even ideas can be eliminated." Even the Nazis were eventually destroyed. In the north of the Gaza Strip, Israel's army is already fighting against a thinned-out Hamas force that consists of only 15 percent of its original members.
Other experts are less optimistic: in order to destroy Hamas, Israel must eliminate the underlying causes of its ideology, says analyst Ryan Bohl to the US broadcaster CNBC. Israel has no other option than to accept a two-state solution, retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told the broadcaster.
Other experts also emphasize that Israel must strengthen Hamas' rivals, such as the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, in order to weaken Hamas. "The ideology will not be destroyed, nor will Hamas as an organization. Nevertheless, Israel probably believes that it can manage a terrorist group better than a hostile proto-state," Jack Watling from the British Royal United Services Institute told the broadcaster. Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip by force of arms in 2007.
What is Germany's position?
In view of the massacre, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has defended the attacks by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. Israel must have the right to defeat Hamas and prevent the group from repeating such acts of terror. Hamas representatives have repeatedly announced their intention to carry out further massacres.
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- The conflicts in the Gaza Strip, primarily involving Hamas, have led to significant casualties and destruction, with approximately 19,000 deaths reported by the health authority affiliated with Hamas.
- Israel, in response to the worst terror attack in its history in border towns where Hamas and other groups were responsible for the killings, is conducting military operations within the Gaza Strip.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asserts that the goal is to ensure Hamas no longer poses a threat, likening the situation to post-war Germany, which underwent substantial transformation towards civilization.
- Many Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank, continue to support Hamas despite the ongoing war and incidents in the occupied territories, with polls indicating that nearly 40% of respondents back Hamas.
- Experts suggest that eliminating Hamas requires addressing its ideological causes, while Israel may benefit from strengthening Hamas' rivals, such as the Palestinian Authority, to weaken its influence.
- The Middle East, particularly the Palestinian territories, is witnessing ongoing disputes and tensions, with terrorism and conflicts between Hamas, Israel, and other groups continuing to impact the region.
- Germany, under Chancellor Olaf Scholz, supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas and prevent future acts of terror, given the Islamist group's repeated threats of further massacres.
Source: www.stern.de
