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The Case for Military Force in Gaza
(Foreign Affairs) Ophir Falk - After Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, Israel's war cabinet directed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to destroy Hamas's military and governing capabilities, free all hostages, and ensure that Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel. Limiting the goal to merely preventing another Oct. 7 is not enough. No sovereign state would allow a genocidal terrorist organization to exist on its border. Numerous studies, including my own, have shown that targeted killing is effective in mitigating Palestinian terrorism but is insufficient. Applying military pressure is also required. That is what Israel is doing, and it is doing so carefully and precisely. Israel seeks to minimize civilian casualties. That is an integral part of its counterterrorism policy. Hamas seeks to maximize civilian casualties. That is an integral part of its propaganda strategy, and too many people are falling for it. The war in Gaza might have ended long ago had Israel applied indiscriminate force, akin to the force the Allies applied in Dresden during World War II. As of July, the IDF has dismantled 22 of Hamas's 24 battalions, killed over 17,000 Hamas terrorists, incapacitated a similar number, and captured about 5,000. The unfortunate deaths of civilians, used by Hamas as human shields, are Hamas's responsibility. Israel has enabled over 30,000 trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including 500,000 tons of food and medicine, to enter Gaza. The writer is Foreign Policy Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.