RUTHFULLY YOURS

The ceasefire in Gaza collapsed this week. IDF airstrikes have now resumed, targeting infrastructure and taking out senior Hamas officials. Israel has also issued an evacuation order for the entire Gaza border area, likely signalling a renewed ground invasion. When I was speaking with Israeli insiders in Jerusalem a few weeks ago, it was suggested to me that five entire divisions may be deployed. A deployment of this scale would likely mean the seizure of all of Gaza by the IDF.

The breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza was predictable, inevitable and solely the responsibility of Hamas. Rather than acting as a genuine partner in peace, it has become evident that Hamas used the ceasefire as a tactical pause to regroup, rearm and prepare for the next wave of violence. Israel – confronted with Hamas’s failure to negotiate in good faith for the release of hostages and phase two of the ceasefire – is entirely justified in resuming efforts to dismantle Hamas as a military threat once and for all.

US president Donald Trump’s insistence on a ceasefire in Gaza posed significant challenges for Israel. When it was agreed in January, the job was only half complete. Hamas continued to hold power and hostages remained trapped in Gaza. However, after weeks of negotiations, one positive outcome of this enforced pause has been the reuniting of many hostages with their families.

The ceasefire has also exposed the truly monstrous nature of Hamas. The dire condition of the returned hostages – as well as the grotesque spectacle of hostage releases, in which the coffins of innocents were paraded before crowds and cameras – served as a stark reminder of Hamas’s barbarism. Meanwhile, seeing Israel return well-fed Gazans has dispelled notions of genocide or deliberate starvation for any sane observer.

Since then, phase two of the ceasefire talks has failed (despite the White House negotiating directly with Hamas, over Israel’s head). Hamas cocked a snook at both the Israelis and the White House, having been warned by Trump what would happen if it continued to stall on releasing the remaining hostages. Now, Trump has given the Israelis the green light to resume targeting senior Hamas members.

Trump’s ceasefire was never likely to be more than a temporary reprieve for Hamas. After all, the group remains fundamentally committed to the destruction of Israel – an aim baked into its founding charter. Any agreement with an organisation whose raison d’être is conflict can only ever be short-lived. Since 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched its unprecedented massacre against civilians in southern Israel, the terror group has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not recognise peace. Rather, it uses pauses in fighting to regain strength.

Following the collapse of the ceasefire talks, Israel had little choice but to resume operations. Allowing Hamas to rebuild its infrastructure, replenish its arms caches and reconstitute its terror capabilities would only lead to greater violence and loss of life. The return to hostilities, though tragic, is not merely predictable – it is morally necessary.

Critics argue that military operations in Gaza exacerbate humanitarian crises, but ultimately it is Hamas that bears the greatest responsibility for civilian suffering. It embeds itself deliberately in densely populated areas and positions its military assets in hospitals, schools and mosques. This is because Hamas understands the ethical constraints under which Israel operates. Israel takes extraordinary measures to mitigate civilian casualties, including ordering civilians to evacuate, issuing prior warnings, employing precision targeting and aborting missions when civilians are at risk.

The international community may call for even greater restraint, but restraint cannot mean passivity in the face of an existential threat. Israel is obliged, morally and strategically, to dismantle Hamas’s capability to wage war. The recent resumption of strikes is not aggression, but a necessary act of self-defence aimed squarely at ending Hamas’s capacity to threaten Israeli lives and regional stability.

To argue otherwise is untenable and irresponsible. Israel should not endlessly absorb attacks, negotiate with a fundamentally hostile actor or accept a cycle of violence and hostage-taking as the status quo. Such a stance would condemn both Israelis and Palestinians to perpetual insecurity – and condemn the Palestinians of Gaza to life under Hamas’s ruthless Islamist regime.

Israel’s resumption of military operations is an entirely justified and necessary step towards ending a conflict that has, for too long, caused huge suffering on both sides. Until Hamas is decisively defeated, true peace in Gaza – and security for Israel – will remain tragically elusive.

Andrew Fox is a former British Army officer and an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, specialising in defence and the Middle East.