The paradoxical war in Gaza

One can well imagine the battle for the tunnels and rubble of Gaza, where IDF's technological edge will reduce Hamas' ability to fight overland, while the Hamas might draw the IDF into bitter and isolated tunnel battles.

- LT GEN HARINDER SINGH

Wars are about scope and scale. Ideally speaking, the political purpose must drive the scope and scale of war, and in that order. But then, nation-states tend to stumble into war more by imperatives of a quick military response rather than a well-thought-out scope of war. The surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel on 7 October 2023 exemplifies this paradox. Whether Hamas wilfully or otherwise chose to scale up the lingering violence in Gaza, it left no easy choices for Israel, but to choose a maximalist line. Ever-since, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have struck at Hamas with impunity to much cheer and criticism of the international community.

SCOPE AND SCALE

Israel wasn't expected not to respond militarily to Hamas atrocities. While the scale of military punishment is driven by the sheer outrage and collective pain of the Israeli state, the scope of retribution will be limited by Israel's net capacity and capability, and the prevailing international opinion. The scope of war is easy to define or pronounce, but the military scale is difficult to fashion and deliver, when your adversary is both crafty and illusive, and an agile subterranean fighter. The real military-strategic challenge is to find the ways, means and ends i.e., the right scope and scale that justifies a strong military action, while minimizing unintended international and regional ramifications. Even if the IDF were to totally eliminate Hamas, the Palestinian suffering would still provide a fertile ground for other radical movements. No wonder the big worry then is that an organised resistance from Hamas and its affiliates could turn this fight into Israel's long war, impacting the wider region.

DESTROY OR DECAPACITATE