| There is no doubt that the Hamas terrorist assault on Israel on 7 October was extremely well prepared, technically speaking. But the guerilla operation is only the tip of the iceberg. Did Israel fall into a convoluted trap set up by Hamas, which provoked it to flatten Gaza City and cause thousands of civilian deaths, ultimately igniting a civilisational war? That is the question. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government made the mistake of neglecting the risk Hamas represents in Gaza. The all-out military assault on Gaza City was his second big mistake. Could the Israeli army achieve a military victory over Hamas in Gaza, by killing or arresting all its military commanders and fighters? Yes, this seems possible, given that the Israeli army is very professional and seems prepared to accept the casualties in its ranks that an operation like this will cause. But even if Hamas is totally wiped out from Gaza, will this be Israel’s victory? There are reasons to believe that those who masterminded the 7 October attack also anticipated the heavy-handed Israeli response, of which the strike on Jabalia is an illustration. There are reasons to believe that the masterminds planned to die as martyrs. But their bigger objective is that the fire in Gaza would go on to engulf much wider regions and ultimately achieve the goal of wiping out Israel, as a first step towards the destruction of the West. | 