The Israeli government insists that it has no viable alternative except to blow up all of Gaza and kill tens of thousands of civilians; otherwise, Hamas will reemerge and will win the war. Is that true?
No. Here is how I would deal with Gaza at this point in the campaign:
- Construct one or more large refugee camps in the northern part of Gaza–the part that is already under Israeli control. Make sure these areas can be easily supplied and provide a decent quality of life.
- Herd the civilians in the Rafah area into the camps. If they are clearly safe and adequately supplied, this should not be difficult. Vet all of the civilians before they are allowed in. Police work is an important part of the job.
- Do whatever you have to do with anyone who remains in Rafah after the exodus is over.
The way you defeat guerrillas is by separating the fighters from the populace. The Israelis have somehow lost sight of that objective. Along with their lack of planning for the end of the war, that needs to change–and fast.