JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas know a fourth Gaza war, like the three before, would be as inconclusive as it is devastating for the impoverished territory’s two million Palestinians. To overthrow Hamas, Israel would need to reoccupy Gaza in a prolonged and bloody operation that would provoke international condemnation. The rockets Hamas has fired into Israel have brought waves of Israeli airstrikes, and about a fourth of the Palestinian projectiles have fallen short, landing in Gaza. But Harel says for many Israelis, Hamas is the “preferred enemy” because it rejects a two-state solution. Either way, there seems no end in sight to Hamas’ rule in Gaza or the blockade Israel says is needed to contain it.

Source: Manila Times May 17, 2021 16:07 UTC