Why Is Defeating Hamas Taking So Long?

By Amit Segal

Why is it taking Israel so long to conclude the war in Gaza?

This is the question many around the world are asking. Critics of Israel suggest the prolonged conflict indicates a desire to wage an endless war aimed at killing as many innocents as possible. Meanwhile, Israel’s supporters express concern about its deteriorating international standing.

Let’s add another question: how was Israel able to accomplish its objectives in the remarkable operation in Iran within just 12 days, or conclude its groundbreaking campaign against Hezbollah in 70 days, while the Gaza conflict drags on for 20 months without a clear resolution in sight?

There are three key reasons for this.

The first is hostages. Israel displays extraordinary sensitivity towards its captured citizens and soldiers.

While studying in London, I wrote a thesis on hostage deals, noting Israel often exchanges 1,000 terrorists for a single soldier. My professor returned my paper, advising me to correct what he thought was a typing error—he simply couldn’t believe any country would agree to such terms.

The IDF avoids entering certain areas to prevent harming hostages. For Hamas, these hostages have become a “get-out-of-jail-free” card: whenever the group’s situation deteriorates, they release a few hostages, gaining a two-month respite to regroup.

The second is international pressure. From the outset of the war, the Biden administration pressed Israel to allow humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza. As a result, tens of thousands have entered the strip since the conflict began.

Tragically, rather than humanitarian assistance reaching civilians, what entered Gaza effectively provided Hamas with cash and resources. It stole aid supplies, reselling them at exorbitant prices—as much as $37 for a single cigarette. Hamas also taxed the merchants on their profits, filling its pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars.

This money enabled Hamas to recruit new fighters, pay salaries to its officials, and sustain its oppressive regime over Gaza’s residents. The situation resembles the tale of Baron Munchausen, whose horse was cut in half by a cannonball. He kept watering the horse endlessly, yet it was futile, as all the water merely spilled from the other side. This is precisely what has happened here. Israel has killed most of Hamas’s fighting force, only to encounter new terrorists paid with funds indirectly provided by Israel itself, due to international pressure.

Last year, CNN’s veteran war correspondent Christiane Amanpour questioned me about why Israel wasn’t allowing more aid into Gaza. Here’s a question back to Ms Amanpour: can you name one other war you’ve covered where one side was expected to supply humanitarian aid to its enemy? The international community, in its effort to help Gaza’s population, has inadvertently prolonged their suffering by extending the conflict.

The third is internal to Israel’s strategy. Hamas’s strength relied on fighters, territory and an extensive network of tunnels. During the war’s first year, facing a second front against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel did not have enough divisions to attack all of Hamas’s strongholds in Gaza simultaneously. It conducted temporary raids aimed at eliminating militants. However, as soon as the IDF withdrew, Hamas replenished its ranks.

With the northern conflict resolved, the IDF has now adopted a different strategy: permanently seizing territory and systematically destroying Hamas’s tunnel networks, denying fighters places to retreat. Hamas today controls just a quarter of the Gaza Strip.

Those who wish to see Hamas removed should support Israel’s effort to distribute humanitarian aid through an independent authority, and allow a few more months for this mission to conclude. If uninterrupted, this will take no longer. The entire world will benefit.

This article was originally published in The Telegraph on July 5.