Columnist Richard Fein: Gaza War — Victories for Hamas, tragedy for Palestinians

A Palestinian man holds the body of a relative killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.

A Palestinian man holds the body of a relative killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. AP PHOTO/ABDEL KAREEM HANA

By RICHARD FEIN

Published: 09-21-2024 11:29 PM

Hamas, the Palestinian terror organization, started the current Gaza war with its Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. It killed about 1,200 unarmed people, raped women, killed children in the presence of their parents. Given that Hamas’ goal is to grievously weaken and ultimately annihilate Israel completely, Oct. 7 was a victory, but not its only one. Let’s look at what Hamas has achieved:

Gained popularity among Palestinians. A July survey of Palestinians by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research reported that two-thirds of Palestinians support the Oct. 7 attack and 40% in both Gaza and the West Bank prefer that Hamas govern them. Eighty percent believe that Oct. 7 has put the issue of Palestine back on the global agenda.

Destroyed the perception of Israel’s military invincibility and weakened Israel’s power to deter its enemies from future attacks.

Israel’s geo-strategic situation is significantly weaker than it was a year ago. It is becoming a global pariah with only one main ally, the United States. Even that support is not as solid as it once was, especially among progressive Democrats and younger voters. Hamas has a strategy to further erode support for Israel. It uses Palestinian civilians as human shields and doesn’t care how many civilians are killed as Israel attacks terrorist targets.

Hamas also seizes humanitarian supplies for its own purposes. The result is large numbers of dead civilians, a Gaza in rubble and an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian people. This benefits Hamas because much of the world puts all the blame on Israel and ignores the role Hamas plays in causing the carnage. News accounts and photos of Palestinian suffering are heart-rending and it is Israel that suffers in world opinion as a consequence.

The prospect of Saudi Arabia establishing diplomatic relations with Israel has been shelved. Egypt and Jordan may suspend their peace treaties with Israel. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is firing rockets into Israel on a daily basis in sympathy with Hamas.

In addition to the civilians massacred on Oct. 7, Israel lost 302 soldiers fighting Hamas in Israeli territory. Since the fighting inside Gaza began, at least 340 Israeli soldiers have been killed and several thousand wounded. For Israel each of these casualties is considered a loss to the nation as a whole.

The current war is putting enormous stress on Israeli society. Trust in the government and security establishment to protect the population has eroded. Israel’s once prosperous economy is shrinking. Businesses are closing because the owners, management and employees are fighting in the reserves. The national budget deficit is ballooning, which necessitates borrowing at an increased rate of interest.

The hostage situation has divided society between those who want a hostage deal prioritized and those who want the total defeat of Hamas ( a goal which has not been defined) as the overriding objective. The military is short of soldiers and is considering lengthening the service obligation time for both the standing army and reservists. Therefore, the fact that ultra-religious Jews are not drafted is causing more tension than usual.

It is unclear when Israelis who were evacuated from the Gaza border or the Lebanese border will be able to return safely to their communities. Israel now has an internal refugee problem and a shrunken territory under its control.

Hamas has won many victories against Israel but Palestinians have paid a terrible price for them. Thousands of people have been killed or grievously wounded and hundreds of thousands have been displaced more than once. Sixty percent of Palestinians report that family members have been killed.

Hospitals, schools, mosques and a majority of homes have been destroyed. Roads and other infrastructure have been wrecked. Earlier this month the U.N. reported that “The nutrition situation in Gaza is one of the most severe that we have ever seen.” Lack of sanitation, shelter and medical care coupled with the nutrition situation portend a worse death toll than we have already seen.

Professor Alex DeWall of Tufts University, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” among many publications, told me this: “If there are not excess deaths from hunger in the tens of thousands, Gaza would be unlike any other humanitarian emergency on record.” Let’s not forget the West Bank. Settlement activity, Jewish terrorism and expulsions of Palestinians are increasing while attention is focused on Gaza.

Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live a dignified and secure life. That would require a state of Palestine living peacefully next door to the state of Israel. However,Hamas’ war to annihilate Israel will not bring Palestinians what they need. Hamas speaks in the name of Palestinians but it has actually brought them a catastrophic tragedy.

Richard Fein holds a master of arts degree in political science and an MBA in economics. He can be reached at columnist@gazettenet.com.