Israel and Hamas at war in Gaza

Israel and Hamas are at war. But this is not a war where armies meet on the field of battle with flags waving. It is not a war where fleets of ships face off on the high seas, nor is it a war where swarms of bombers fight through anti-aircraft fire and fighter jets to hit their targets. The war in Gaza is an asymmetric war.

Asymmetric warfare occurs between parties who differ dramatically in size, tactics, or capability, often forcing the less powerful adversary to resort to unconventional tactics to neutralize the advantages held by the more powerful opponent. Israel is a nation-state and Hamas is a terrorist organization.

On Oct. 7, Hamas launched a terrorist attack across the Israel-Gaza border. Hamas started by firing rockets into Israel. Hamas fighters then massacred civilian partyers at an outdoor music festival and attacked settlements near the border. On that day, Hamas killed over 1100 people and took over 200 mostly civilian hostages.

In conventional warfare, the objective is usually to degrade an enemy’s warfighting capability so that they are forced to stop fighting or to negotiate terms. But in asymmetric warfare, the objective may be different. No one seriously believes that Hamas could defeat the Israeli army in battle. Hamas’ objective in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack may have been to take hostages whom they could exchange for Palestinian prisoners or to turn world opinion against Israel and force them to make concessions. Even as the Israeli army makes gains on the ground in Gaza, Hamas may be winning the war.

Hamas is not winning the war militarily but, in the weeks since the attack, world opinion and opinion here in the USA seem to be turning against Israel in favor of Hamas. Given the nature and scope of the attack, Israel had to respond. When Hamas was founded, it called for the destruction of Israel; as a result, many Israelis view this as an existential crisis.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, "This is a war for the existence of Israel as a prosperous state, as a democratic state, as homeland of the Jewish people."

Israel had to respond, they warned Gaza residents to evacuate to the south before they entered northern Gaza. Since then, Israel has essentially cut off Gaza from the rest of the world and conducted extensive air and ground operations in Gaza.

Hamas started by violating the rules of war. They attacked civilian targets of no military value and took numerous civilian hostages and more. In the opening days of the war, world sentiment seemed to favor Israel. But this is asymmetric war; there is no way for Israel to conduct so-called surgical strikes in Gaza that punish Hamas and spare Palestinian civilians.

The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that more than 11,000 have been killed in the fighting. Israel has been accused of bombing a hospital (a claim they deny) and every day we hear dire warnings about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. In recent weeks more and more people are accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza.

In this war, as in every war before it, both sides are doing whatever they can to meet their objectives. By provoking an Israeli attack, Hamas has ironically positioned themselves as David against Israel’s Goliath. The ferocity of Israel’s attack is earning sympathy for Hamas across the world. Here in Iowa, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart called for the resignation of the leadership of the University of Iowa Democrats after they posted on social media: “May every Palestinian live long and free, from the river to the sea.” The phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ is a call for Palestinians to occupy the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, that is Israel.

For Palestinians who have suffered losses or displacement in the wake of Israel's countermeasures, the perception of Israel as an adversary is likely to be reinforced, potentially driving some to align with Hamas.

Determining the winner in this asymmetric war will be difficult. With military superiority, the Israeli army is likely to win the battle on the ground. Conversely, Israel was on the verge of normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, a seismic shift in Israeli-Arab relations, and now this effort is at risk. Moreover, the war in Gaza has increased global criticism of Israel, potentially affecting its international relationships and efforts for regional peace.

David Chung is a Gazette editorial fellow. david.chung@thegazette.com