Inextinguishable

This stance found substantial backing from Western leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who entertained the notion of an international coalition to fight Hamas. Many Western leaders including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared similar sentiments.

EU and US officials scrambled to West Asia to voice their support for Tel Avivi by making visits to the occupied territories, essentially giving the regime the greenlight to pummel the besieged Gaza Strip in an apparent bid to eradicate Hamas. Logistics and funding streamed into Tel Aviv, accompanied by a significant propaganda effort to bolster Israel’s illegitimate objectives, as the West hastened to materialize Israel’s vision of a world without Hamas resistance fighters. 

However, Israel's aspirations have ultimately appeared akin to the hollow fantasies of one who has endured a crushing blow while still in the throes of a deep slumber.

Over 50 days into Israel's aggressive foray into Gaza, the regime has failed to achieve any significant military outcomes. Despite the loss of 16,000 Palestinian lives, Israel has not succeeded in eliminating any high-ranking Hamas members. Meanwhile, Hamas continues its unrelenting attacks on the occupied territories, launching rockets across the Gaza border to strike Israeli settlements.

Within Gaza, the terrain remains a perilous quagmire for Israeli forces, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of Israeli tanks and an undisclosed, though potentially substantial, number of soldier casualties.

Though Israel has not released any official figures, several reports and accounts point to the high number of Israeli casualties in Gaza. David Oren Baruch, the director of the Israeli military cemetery on Mount Herzl, disclosed on November 19 that as many as 50 Israeli soldiers had been interred in the past 48 hours. Additionally, an Israeli Rabbi, tasked with recording fatalities, acknowledged the loss of 30 Israeli forces during a single attack on the 3rd day of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza. However, these accounts have largely been censored by Israeli officials. Reports also indicate that over 1,000 Israeli soldiers have sustained injuries, with 200 in critical condition. Some analysts have also appeared on Israeli TV, admitting that Hamas has so far managed to defeat the regime on the ground as it holds entrenched control over vast areas of the besieged territory. 

Beyond Gaza, Israel is facing significant challenges. Billions of dollars worth of the regime's security equipment, funded by American tax dollars, has been decimated in the northern region of the occupied territories due to attacks by Lebanon's Hezbollah. Additionally, Yemen has profoundly influenced the situation to Israel's disadvantage. Israeli companies are now required to reroute their ships to evade potential seizure by the Ansarullah. Consequently, Israel has opted against engaging in a new conflict with Yemen due to its perceived high cost, thus far abstaining from any confrontation and refraining from firing a single shot at Yemeni positions.

Israel's indiscriminate actions in Gaza, coupled with its failure to secure decisive achievements on the ground and continuous suffering at the hands of Hezbollah and Ansarullah, have resulted in a significant decline in the regime’s credibility and popularity on the global stage. It is evident that, rather than achieving success in its ground offensive, the regime has suffered a severe military, security, and reputational setback at the hands of Palestinians.

But even if the tables turn and Israel gets to kill large numbers of Hamas members in Gaza, the group can essentially never be eradicated. That’s because as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated in October, Hamas is deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of Palestinians. Hamas represents a cause—a movement dedicated to the liberation of Palestine. This cause extends beyond the organization. Therefore, even if Hamas undergoes significant military setbacks due to Israeli actions the Palestinian struggle towards liberation will not cease. Once Israel is done with its latest round of assaults against Gaza, those who have lost their loved ones during the regime’s brutal attacks are likely to seek vengeance any chance they get. Palestinians have already chosen a path that will lead to either victory or martyrdom. As Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei once stated, Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has begun an “inextinguishable” quest that is sure to carry on.

Certain Western leaders also seem to have recognized the situation. On Saturday, the French President cautioned that Israel's pursuit of eradicating the Palestinian resistance group could lead to a decade of warfare. "If Hamas were to be completely destroyed, the conflict could extend for 10 years," Macron said during a press briefing on the fringes of the UN's COP28 climate discussions in Dubai.
"Therefore, this objective must be carefully reconsidered," he underscored.

First published by Tehran Times