Watan-The military analyst at the Hebrew newspaper ‘Haaretz,’ Amos Harel, stated on Thursday that certain Arab countries are urging Israel not to cease the war in Gaza without defeating the Hamas movement.
According to an article by Harel in the Hebrew newspaper, ‘Sunni states in the region speak with two voices. Publicly, some of them, such as Egypt and Jordan, align themselves with public opinion in their countries and condemn the killing of civilians in the operations carried out by the Israeli army.
All regional leaders, including the majority of Gulf states, are calling on Israel to defeat Hamas
Additionally, behind the scenes, almost all regional leadership, including most Gulf countries, is urging Israel to end the war by defeating Hamas, which they view as a serious internal adversary,” he claimed.
According to the military analyst, the United States is “seeking to put brakes on Israeli military actions. However, at this stage, they are not attempting to impose a deal on Israel or prevent it from continuing the military operation in the sector.”
Quoting Israeli security sources, he reported, “The problem is that within a few days, Israel will find itself approaching the wall. Hamas will either finish returning the individuals on the first list of captives, including mothers, minors, the sick, and the wounded, or it will announce that it has failed to locate some of them.”
Hamas is far from being militarily defeated
Harel pointed out that at this point, the illusion that Israel can accomplish both things—fighting and paying for the release of the remaining captives—will dissipate. There will be a need for another deal, which will be challenging for Israel to achieve due to the price Hamas will demand.
Without a deal, the Israeli army will operate with great force, and the risks to the lives of Israeli prisoners will increase. Whether due to the fighting itself and the harsh conditions arising from it or potential resistance (torture) from Hamas,” according to the analyst.
“Harel added that ‘Hamas has suffered significant losses and immense damage in the northern part of the sector, losing its civilian control there. However, it seems far from being militarily defeated.
He pointed out that it is very possible that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, would prefer to take risks and continue the fight, based on the assumption that Israel will become more deeply involved in a military operation in the south. ‘It cannot be ruled out that even when his back is against the wall later, the leader of Hamas would prefer martyrdom in battle,’ he said.”