Hamas is conducting an ongoing campaign of attrition against Israel. The organization began initiating violent incidents from the Gaza Strip the very same week it scored its first achievements since Operation Guardian of the Walls, with Israel’s announcement that it was easing the closure and that a way was found to transfer funds from Qatar to the Gaza Strip. Israel, considered the “rational” side of the equation, is hard-pressed to understand the logic guiding Hamas and Yahya Sinwar, its leader in the Gaza Strip, and believes his judgment is defective. Has the time come for Israel to change the rules of the game, stop being predictable, and adopt an aggressive proactive policy, for example by closing the crossings to the Gaza Strip and/or executing a prolonged offensive against Hamas’s rocket fire capabilities and military wing? This will require determination, patience, and a capacity for enduring attacks. If Israel does not find the will to change the rules of the game because of the risk involved, Hamas will continue to determine the course of the conflict with Israel through its power of extortion.
Hamas has its Own Logic. What is Israel’s Logic? | INSS
