'Israel' lost the Gaza war and must accept the reality: Report
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Israeli officials' threats to destroy Gaza's Resistance movements have diminished after a ceasefire and prisoner exchange, shifting focus to "Israel's" failure to meet its war goals.
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Buildings that were destroyed by the Israeli air and ground offensive are seen at the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in Gaza Strip, on January 28, 2025. (AP)
The threats by Israeli officials to destroy resistance movements in the Gaza Strip have diminished following the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners. This has shifted to discussions about "Israel's" failure to achieve the war’s objectives, amid growing media criticism of "Israel's" inability to secure victory despite claims of "absolute victory."
Meanwhile, the Hamas movement has reasserted itself as a dominant force in shaping the future of the Gaza Strip, with its influence expanding towards the West Bank.
The Israeli failure is reflected in opinion polls, where responses to a question about the return of Gaza residents to the northern part of the Strip revealed that only 4% of respondents believe the war's objectives were fully achieved. In contrast, 57% feel the objectives were not fully met, and 32% believe the objectives were not achieved at all.
'Israel' completely failed in its war on Gaza
The threats by Israeli officials to destroy the Resistance movements in the Gaza Strip have subsided following the ceasefire deal and the exchange of prisoners, shifting the focus to discussions about the Israeli occupation's failure to achieve the war's objectives.
In this context, Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power Party and resigned Police Minister, encapsulated the prevailing sentiment in Israeli discourse by stating, "The horrific images from Gaza—referring to the release of Israeli captives by Palestinian Resistance movements—show that what happened in the Gaza Strip is not a complete victory, but a complete failure," further describing the deal as an act of unparalleled recklessness.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior officer in the Israeli military's General Staff as saying that "Israel, during the 15 months of the war on Gaza, has not achieved the war's goals, which were to eliminate Hamas both militarily and administratively."
Read next: Gaza prepares for fourth prisoner exchange amid ceasefire deal
The Israeli occupation's failure to achieve its objectives in the war against the Gaza Strip, which started on October 7, 2023, has sparked attention from various experts and commentators in "Israel". Among them, lawyer and penal law expert Doron Nir-Tzavi, who in an interview with Israeli Channel 7, emphasized that the true victor in any war is the side that "successfully achieves its goals."
Since "Israel" set four goals for itself—destroying Hamas as a military force, dismantling Hamas' authority in the Gaza Strip, ensuring the Israeli occupation is not exposed to "threats from Gaza", and securing the return of all kidnapped individuals—it has failed to achieve any of these objectives. As a result, it is the party that did not win, according to the reports.
'No achievements'
Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo spoke to Israeli Channel 12, stating that while the Israeli army may have won the individual battles, "Israel" ultimately lost the war. He further emphasized that the proposal to create a buffer zone on the Gaza Strip border, 300 to 800 meters deep, to protect Israeli settlements, reflects "Israel’s" failure in the war. Pardo remarked, "This is not how you end a war, and this is not how you win a war."
Former Mossad official Rami Igra highlighted in an interview with Israeli channel i24news that it is clear to everyone in "Israel" that the Israeli army failed to eliminate Hamas' authority. He pointed out that no one in "Israel" planned for the aftermath or sought to establish an alternative authority to replace Hamas.
As mentioned in the interview, the clear outcome is that the lack of an alternative to Hamas' authority means it continues to control the Gaza Strip, which is the reality on the ground. Igra further noted that "Israel" has, perhaps unwillingly, abandoned its goal of eliminating Hamas. The situation indicates that Hamas will remain in Gaza and is likely to grow stronger in the West Bank, which will force "Israel" to pay a significant price in the future.
'Fruitless victory'
In an interview with Channel 12, former advisor to the Israeli Security Ministry, reserve Lieutenant Colonel Alon Avitar, stated, "Hamas is like a player who enters the field and says, if I don’t play, no one will play. That is, Hamas says that it will remain in power, whether directly or from behind the scenes, but in any case, it is the one dictating matters in the Gaza Strip. As for Israel, it must swallow the big frog in the story of absolute victory."
In an article published in Haaretz, writer and linguist Rubik Rosenthal argued that everyone in "Israel knows they lost the Iron Swords war. Netanyahu knows it, the Smotrich-Ben Gvir duo knows it, Halevi knows it, and the whole world knows that Israel lost, failing to achieve any of the goals of the war."
The article noted that despite "Israel destroying the enemy's country, killing tens of thousands of its soldiers and citizens, eliminating its leaders, and blocking kilometers of its tunnels," Rosenthal emphasized that there is no image of victory for "Israel" in this war, and therefore, no "fruits of victory."
Hamas rebuilds itself militarily and authoritatively
In his analysis, Haaretz military affairs analyst Amos Harel stated that "there is no basis for the boasts of absolute victory by Netanyahu's supporters" and emphasized that "one would have to be a foolish follower, who has lost all his control mechanisms, to believe that Israel defeated Hamas."
Harel also pointed out that despite the massive military blow Hamas received, it did not surrender. Instead, it is gradually regaining its civil authority in the Gaza Strip and beginning to restore its military infrastructure. That said, this reality contradicts Netanyahu's statements about the "goals of the war and the promises he made during it".
Avi Issacharoff, an analyst on Arab affairs at the Walla website, criticized the Israeli government during an interview with Channel 12 for selling the public empty slogans about "absolute victory." He argued that the government failed to achieve its primary goal of eliminating Hamas' rule, which remains intact.
Zvi Yehezkeli, an Arab affairs commentator for the Israeli i24news channel, stated that Hamas is the dominant force in the Gaza Strip. He emphasized that it is evident to everyone that Hamas is the primary authority in Gaza, and it is the group with which "Israel" coordinates.
Yehezkeli further stated that the images Hamas intentionally broadcasts during the release of Israeli captives are not aimed at the people of Gaza, but rather at the international community. He noted that Hamas uses these images to demonstrate "how Israel was unable to achieve what it wanted in the Gaza Strip."
