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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">Hamas is intact, so has Israel lost?</h1><p class="gmail-">Six
months after Al-Aqsa Flood, Israel has made little progress in
eradicating Hamas or its capabilities, and its Gaza war only fueled and
expanded support for resistance. Tel Aviv has miscalculated badly; you
can't fight ideology with guns.</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/xavier-villar" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">Xavier Villar</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>MAR 25, 2024 - </span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/hamas-is-intact-so-has-israel-lost">https://thecradle.co/articles/hamas-is-intact-so-has-israel-lost</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/29d29ba0-eabf-11ee-8d31-00163e02c055.jpeg" alt="" width="395" height="187" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>(Photo Credit: The Cradle)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Six
months into Israel's blitzkrieg on Gaza, the occupation state's
military intelligence has reluctantly acknowledged what many had
suspected: achieving a decisive victory over Hamas is an unattainable
goal. Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's initial rhetoric of
total annihilation, the reality on the ground speaks differently.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Tzachi Hanegbi, head of Israel's national security, had previously declared that nothing short of '</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/14/israel-hamas-gaza-war/"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">total victory</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">'
would suffice. Yet, as military Spokesperson Daniel Hagari conceded on
18 March, Hamas continues to persist, regrouping – he alleges – around
Al-Shifa hospital in the northern Strip. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">As US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan </span><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-says-hamas-return-to-shifa-hospital-shows-need-for-a-viable-alternative-to-control-gaza/"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">pointed out</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> last
week: "Israel cleared Shifa once. Hamas came back into Shifa, which
raises questions about how to ensure a sustainable campaign against
Hamas so that it cannot regenerate, cannot retake territory." </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"><strong>Mission impossible </strong></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">From
a political standpoint, this suggests that the occupation army can
neither eradicate the Palestinian resistance movement nor assert control
over the besieged territory.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Reserve General Itzhak Brik, who has previously </span><a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240224-total-chaos-among-israeli-military-ranks-in-gaza-former-army-general/"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">criticized</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> the
"total chaos" among the ranks of Israeli soldiers in Gaza, has long
warned that "the complete destruction of Hamas is not feasible, and
Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding this matter are only intended
to deceive others."</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Tel
Aviv's failure to dismantle Hamas's extensive tunnel network further
highlights the inadequacy of its military efforts. Israeli authorities
have confirmed that around 80 percent of Hamas' tunnel system remains
intact despite months of airstrikes and ground operations. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">This network, according to </span><a href="https://www.isna.ir/news/1402102719322/%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D9%84-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B3-%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%A7"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">Iranian defense ministry officials</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> speaking
on condition of anonymity, is estimated to stretch for between 350 to
450 miles – an astonishing feat, given that Gaza's longest point is 25
miles. Two officials also assessed that there are close to 5,700
separate shafts leading to these tunnels. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Israeli
boasts of repeatedly bombing Hamas tunnels ring untrue in light of
these discoveries. Even advanced munitions like GBU-28 'deep
penetration' bombs have proven to be ineffective against the tunnels'
depth and complexity. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
evidence of Israel's inability to break through Hamas defenses
continues to mount. In a 12 March speech, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei revealed that he had received a message from the Palestinian
resistance saying that "90 percent of our capabilities are intact."</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">According to US Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, the Israeli army was at most able to destroy </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/03/10/world-news/us-senate-intelligence-chair-says-eliminating-all-of-hamas-is-not-a-realistic-goal/"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">less than a third</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> of
the Hamas tunnel network, adding: "The idea that you're going to
eliminate every Hamas fighter, I don't think is a realistic goal." </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">It's
abundantly clear that Israel's stated objective of destroying Hamas has
not been achieved, nor will it be in the future. Even the </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-thinks-it-could-win-gaza-war-with-israel-6254a8c6"><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"><i>Wall Street Journal</i></span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">,
in a 29 February article lauding the occupation army's successful
strikes on Hamas forces, acknowledged that "Israel is still far from its
declared war aim of eliminating Hamas as a significant military and
political entity." </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Israel's
failures can be analyzed from two distinct perspectives. Firstly,
Hamas's form of military resistance is asymmetrical, allowing it to
inflict damage on a much larger adversary without bearing significant
casualties. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Understanding
the necessity to safeguard its dual political-military structure, Hamas
organizes military operations into independent cells under the
authority of the Al-Qassam Brigades.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Secondly,
Hamas consists of not only a fighting force but an ideology deeply
rooted in the Palestinian struggle for national liberation within the
Islamic notion of </span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/jihad"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">jihad</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> –
or "meritorious effort." The potency of this anti-colonial movement,
and particularly its broad, entrenched popularity among the people,
renders eradicating it a near-impossible task. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
contrast to the Fatah-led, US–Israeli-backed Palestinian Authority's
(PA) acceptance of self-government with numerous constraints –
exemplified by the Oslo Accords – Hamas's rejection of such agreements
reflects its steadfast opposition to Israel's colonial vision and offers
an attractive </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/1110"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">alternative political stance</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"><strong>Assessing war as a tool of politics </strong></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
short, threats to annihilate Hamas and destroy Gaza are futile. From
the rational perspective of the Palestinian resistance group, it is
understood that the consequences would be far more severe if they were
to submit to Israel's demands.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">This
same logic of resistance, which is fundamental, is shared by the
overwhelming majority of Hamas followers, including secular ones.
Furthermore, the logic of anti-colonial resistance is passed down from
one generation to the next, and the genocidal dynamics of Zionism only
serve to perpetuate this same logic.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
acknowledged failure of Zionism's pursuit of 'total victory' over Hamas
must be comprehended from a political perspective. As long as Israel's
colonial occupation persists in its objectives of displacement and
conquest in Palestine, the ideology of resistance, epitomized by Hamas
today, will maintain its dominance among the colonized. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Polls conducted among Palestinians corroborate this analysis. A </span><a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-shows-soaring-support-for-hamas-in-west-bank-as-90-say-abbas-should-resign/#:~:text=The%20poll%20found%20that%2072,57%25%20in%20Gaza%20backing%20it."><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">survey</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> by
the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in December 2023
indicates growing support for Hamas across all occupied Palestinian
territories, alongside stunningly diminished support for the PA. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
data further reveals widespread endorsement of Hamas' actions,
including the 7 October resistance operation Al-Aqsa Flood, and a
significant demand for the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas, the PA's
president.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The statement
from the Former Deputy Chairman of the Israeli National Security
Council, acknowledging that "there are no military solutions to the
conflicts Israel is engaged in, particularly in the southern region,"
confirms the political blindness of the current Israeli status quo.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"><strong>Understanding the Axis of Resistance </strong></span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">It
is important to note that, at times, it is assumed that an ideology may
be subordinate to a set of political interests, which could lead to
that ideology modifying its political objectives at some point. However,
this is not the case with Hamas, nor is it when analyzing the reasons
for Hezbollah and Iran's opposition to Israel.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Neither
Hamas nor the rest of the members of the Axis of Resistance can be
threatened or bombed into submission, as these autonomous groups have
their </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/14/irans-axis-of-resistance-is-a-potent-coalition-but-a-risky-strategy"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">own political agenda</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> that
they consider non-negotiable even in the face of Israel's genocidal
campaign. As Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah emphasized
repeatedly in a </span><a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/02/16/720189/Lebanon-Hezbollah-Israeli-regime-pay-with-blood-civilians"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">16 February</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)"> televised speech:<strong> </strong></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">We
are before two choices – resistance or surrender – and the price of
surrender … means submission, humiliation, slavery, and disdain for our
elders, our children, our honor, and our wealth … The price of surrender
in Lebanon meant Israel's political and economic hegemony over our
country.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">To
illustrate, consider Iran's steadfast commitment to Palestine despite
the internal risks it poses to Iranian national security in confronting
both the US and Israel. Yet, these risks and threats hold no sway over
Tehran's regional political strategy, which is rooted firmly in its
revolutionary vision.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">This
marks a fundamental difference with classic western military coalitions
created ad hoc by like-minded states to combat a common threat without
long-term commitments. The "</span><a href="https://www.saba.ye/en/news3290999.htm"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">collapse</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">"
of the lackluster US-led coalition aimed at countering Yemen's
anti-Israel naval operations in the Red Sea is a case in point. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
contrast, the Axis of Resistance is more than just a coalition of
groups; it is anchored by an anti-colonial ideology that shares
non-negotiable objectives but allows for different strategies to achieve
them.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In other words,
all the groups that comprise the Axis of Resistance – whether Sunni,
Shia, Arab, non-Arab, secular, or Islamist – are capable of reaching
occasional agreements and disagreements using the same language of the
anti-colonial Islamic tradition.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">As
the war on Gaza has raged for half of a year, the unprecedented toll on
Palestinian lives and infrastructure has been devastating. Despite some
tactical advances by the occupation forces, it's becoming increasingly
clear that Israel is headed towards a </span><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles-id/23833"><span style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">strategic defeat</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">. </span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Its
failure to achieve its objectives contrasts sharply with the unwavering
resolve of the Palestinian resistance, bolstered by a regional alliance
united in its uncompromising stance against the occupation state.</span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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