There is a 72 hour cease fire in effect in Gaza. There is a pretty good chance that this cease fire will be extended indefinitely and the current fighting will be over. On every front except the propaganda battle, Hamas has been defeated in a big way. Hamas has lost over half of its missiles and perhaps many more. The terrorists started the war with over 10,000 missiles including many of intermediate and long range that could reach the major Israeli population centers of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. After firing over 3000 missiles and seeing at least another 2000 destroyed by the Israeli armed forces, Hamas has yet to hit any important target. In fact, the biggest damage caused by these missiles has been in Gaza when they have exploded on launch or misfired and crashed into local buildings. This is thanks to Iron Dome, the Israeli anti-missile system. Hamas has also seen its underground tunnel network degraded and destroyed. The Israelis say that they have now blown up every tunnel of which they are aware. It is possible that there are other hidden tunnels, but, if so, very little of the tunnel network is left. The basis for a major Hamas terror attack on southern Israel has been eliminated. Six years of work by Hamas to build the tunnels and the deaths of nearly 200 children who Hamas used to do much of the work has been in vain. None of the major objectives of Hamas have been obtained. The blockade is, if anything, stronger today than it was prior to the start of fighting. Egypt has not opened its border with Gaza even a bit. The only way left for Hamas to get military supplies from abroad is to smuggle them in from the sea, and this route is highly risky due to the activities of the Israeli navy which is basically operating in its home waters. On top of this, a big chunk of Gaza is in ruins and Hamas can neither feed nor house those who remain behind. And as a further "bonus" Hamas has lost more than 1000 fighters. Some of these men have been identified as "civilians" for the propaganda war, but there is no doubt that Hamas losses exceed 1000. As the saying goes, Hamas is between a rock and a hard place.
So, Hamas has agreed to a cease fire. Most likely, the cease fire is designed to protect the remaining tunnel infrastructure from discovery and destruction. It is also to preserve the missile stores that Hamas still has. Does this mean peace? Apparently, the answer is no. Hamas has shifted back to an old strategy. In the last two days, there have been three terror attacks in Israel. In one a Palestinian man used a bulldozer to attack a bus on the streets of Jerusalem. The bus was empty, so there was only a driver who had minor injuries. The Palestinian then got into a short gun battle with police who shot him dead. There was one fatality in the attack, a pedestrian who got hit with the bus. There was also a drive by shooting from a motorcycle in Jerusalem. Today, there was a knife attack on a guard in an Israeli town just outside Jerusalem. Hamas is back trying to start a terror campaign against the Israelis across the country.
Hopefully, the people of Gaza will rise up and oust Hamas from its base in that territory. It is unlikely, but one can always hope.
So, Hamas has agreed to a cease fire. Most likely, the cease fire is designed to protect the remaining tunnel infrastructure from discovery and destruction. It is also to preserve the missile stores that Hamas still has. Does this mean peace? Apparently, the answer is no. Hamas has shifted back to an old strategy. In the last two days, there have been three terror attacks in Israel. In one a Palestinian man used a bulldozer to attack a bus on the streets of Jerusalem. The bus was empty, so there was only a driver who had minor injuries. The Palestinian then got into a short gun battle with police who shot him dead. There was one fatality in the attack, a pedestrian who got hit with the bus. There was also a drive by shooting from a motorcycle in Jerusalem. Today, there was a knife attack on a guard in an Israeli town just outside Jerusalem. Hamas is back trying to start a terror campaign against the Israelis across the country.
Hopefully, the people of Gaza will rise up and oust Hamas from its base in that territory. It is unlikely, but one can always hope.
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