But the damage wrought on Hamas’s capability to wage future terrorist attacks should not be underestimated. Many lower-level commanders will have been killed or injured, the group’s command and control structure will be in tatters and much of its weaponry will have been destroyed. Many of the terrorist foot soldiers may also now be more worried about the security of their own families than waging a war which will only end with their own messy death. It is also easy to imagine that while many Palestinians will blame Israel for their suffering now and in the future, others will rightly blame Hamas.
So, Sinwar’s death, when it inevitably comes, will represent a notable win and will offer Israel a way out of the conflict with an achievable end game.
[My first reaction to the question was: “Well, it couldn’t hurt!” Rayment gives a pretty good realpolitik analysis here, based on what we already know about the fecklessness of the Biden administration and other Western “allies” of Israel. Sinwar’s death or capture would give the unity government a big enough win to claim “mission accomplished” in the short run, especially if the tunnels get permanently destroyed through flooding or other means. But don’t think for a moment that the Mossad will stop pursuing other Hamas leaders, even if it takes years to kill them. Look up the Israelis’ Operation Wrath of God to get some perspective on their tenacity. — Ed]
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