An Eye on Gaza

The perennial dilemma about Gaza resurfaced last week, after Islamic Jihad launched a fusillade of missiles into Israel on Friday night: Should Israel launch an operation to topple the Hamas-led government? Or is the risk of casualties, political instability, and world condemnation too great a cost?

According to Yuval Steinitz, a member of the security cabinet and Israel’s energy minister, military action is the best option. “The way it looks now, we will first need to launch a military operation in Gaza and then aim for an arrangement for the long term,” he said in an interview with Mishpacha. “If there is no choice, and we want to liquidate the Hamas rule, Israel will have to launch a ground operation.”

Steinitz noted that during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the chief of general staff at the time, Benny Gantz, presented a plan to the cabinet to crush Hamas. But Gantz also warned that such a campaign would likely result in the deaths of about 500 Israeli soldiers. Is it possible the IDF was exaggerating the casualty figures in order to discourage the political leadership from acting? Steinitz doesn’t think so. “Most of the cabinet members were combat soldiers,” he said. “It wasn’t a cabinet of cowards.”

In response to the rocket fire on Friday, Israel attacked a number of Hamas positions in Gaza, and reminded the terrorist group’s leadership that it will be held accountable for any missiles launched from the enclave. Minister Yoav Galant told Mishpacha that the Hamas leadership got the message. “Gaza was shaking from the explosions,” he said. “Islamic Jihad is playing with fire. We conveyed a message to various entities that the current situation cannot continue and we have some red lines; crossing them will evoke a response from us.”