Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • Israel-Iran
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • NATO
    • China
    • Syria
  • Research
    • Briefs
    • Explainers
    • Reports
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / Israel-Hamas / A year after Oct. 7, what gains can Israel lay claim to?
Israel‑Hamas, Israel, Middle East

October 8, 2024

A year after Oct. 7, what gains can Israel lay claim to?

By Daniel DePetris

For a state that has experienced many tragedies, Oct. 7 will long be remembered as perhaps the darkest day in Israel’s history. Israelis from across the political divide marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack into southern Israel with sadness, mourning and reflection on Monday. Israel, meanwhile, is a state at war with multiple enemies across the Middle East — a war that may only enlarge as Israeli officials prepare to strike Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s ballistic missile attack a week ago.

Oct. 7 has proved to be an inflection point for Israel. Decades of Israeli policy were overturned virtually overnight. The previous playbook of periodic airstrikes and indirect de-escalation accords has been shredded, replaced with a full-throated Israeli assault on Hamas with the aim of eradicating it entirely. The Israeli-Lebanese border, relatively stable since Israel and Hezbollah ended their last war in 2006, was again viewed by the Israeli security establishment as a crisis in waiting. Like a football coach that relies on the running game, Israel is now relying almost solely on military force to solve its Hamas and Hezbollah problems.

Gaza, the Palestinian enclave hugging the eastern Mediterranean, is a wasteland. Israel has struck more than 40,000 Hamas targets over the past year, killing thousands of its fighters, degrading the group’s military capability and doing significant damage to its underground tunnel network. Hamas leadership has been put under significant pressure, and Yahya Sinwar, the man calling the shots in the organization, has been on the run for about a year. Israel’s top military brass is playing up the tactical accomplishments, claiming that Israel has defeated Hamas’ military wing.

Israel, however, hasn’t found a way to translate its tactical prowess into strategic gains. Gaza is now an ungovernable territory, trapped between the remnants of Hamas and ordinary people who are just trying to survive. A few ugly pictures don’t do justice to the extent of the physical destruction in Gaza — close to 42,000 Palestinians have been killed; families have been displaced multiple times and there isn’t enough humanitarian relief to go around.

Read at The Chicago Tribune

Author

Photo of Daniel DePetris

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

More on Middle East

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

How Trump took advantage of Iran’s face-saving retaliation strategy

By Daniel DePetris

June 24, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

It’s time to get out for good

By Jennifer Kavanagh

June 23, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

How the war could spin out of control

By Dan Caldwell

June 23, 2025

Press ReleaseIsrael‑Iran, Middle East

Deescalation in the Middle East is welcome

By Rosemary Kelanic

June 23, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

Is there a diplomatic off-ramp available for the US and Iran?

By Daniel DePetris

June 23, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

LTE: Bombing Iran won’t solve these five problems. But it might fix this one.

By Daniel DePetris

June 22, 2025

Events on Israel-Hamas

See All Events
virtualMiddle East, Basing and force posture, Diplomacy, Houthis, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Israel‑Hamas, Military analysis, Syria

Past Virtual Event: Trump in the Middle East: Impacts, implications, and alternatives

May 16, 2025
virtualHouthis, Iran, Israel‑Hamas, Middle East, Yemen

Past Virtual Event: Houthi conundrum: defend, degrade, or defer

March 28, 2024
virtualMiddle East, Iran, Israel‑Hamas, Israel‑Iran, Syria, Yemen

Past Virtual Event: Keeping the U.S. out of war in the Middle East

January 16, 2024

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • About
  • For Media
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
© 2025 Defense Priorities All Right Reserved