On November 27, Qatar announced that the four-day humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas will be extended by an additional two days. The agreement, struck hours before the original deal was scheduled to expire, will no doubt be welcomed on both sides of the Israel-Gaza border. Assuming the extension is implemented, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will see more Israeli and foreign captives released by Hamas. In turn, civilians in Gaza will be able to go about their lives a few more days without Israeli airstrikes and ground combat.
The possibilities of a further extension will depend in part on how many prisoners Hamas is willing to release. It’s vital, however, to be crystal clear about what this development is—and, just as importantly, what it isn’t. The pause will allow the combatants to take a breather for a few more days, and humanitarian workers will use the extra time to speed up aid deliveries into Gaza. But the war is bound to resume eventually. It’s only a matter of “when,” not “if.”
Speaking to Israeli troops in Gaza over the weekend, Netanyahu reiterated that while returning every single hostage was a priority for his government, “we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” While the PM left the word “victory” undefined, Israeli government statements indicate that nothing short of Hamas’s full and utter destruction will suffice. Less than a week after the October 7 terrorist attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told a news conference that Hamas was for all intends and purposes a dead organization walking: “Hamas—the Islamic State of Gaza—will be wiped from the face of the earth.” Ditto Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who suggested in a November 3 New York Times op-ed that Hamas could be permanently eliminated.
What if Israel’s overall objective is unattainable? Some may ignore the question or choose to focus instead on tactical issues pertaining to Israel’s military campaign. Yet all of these discussions are side dishes to the main course: in embracing such a maximalist goal, Israel has likely set itself up for disappointment.
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