In the aftermath of the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, Israel declared an ever expanding list of war aims, ranging from the return of all hostages to the creation of a buffer zone separating Israel from Gaza’s population. Yet no Israeli leader has explained how the military campaign, even as it has destroyed much of the Strip, could possibly achieve its objectives. That’s because it can’t—and they know it.
This very situation has existed in almost every Israeli war since 1948 because
