International 
 

International

Zero-sum Game

Is there a way out of the deadly and bloody standoff in Gaza, or if not, for how long the cycle of violence will continue?

By Dr. Moonis Ahmar | March 2024


Killing fields in Gaza since October 7, 2023, till now tend to prove the apathy and indifference of the Arab-Muslim world by not retaliating against Israel, which continues its relentless air and ground assault on defenseless Palestinians. So far, more than 28,000 Palestinians, of which the majority are women and children, have been killed, and 75% of the 2.3 million population of Gaza has been rendered homeless because of unabated Israeli acts of genocide. The Jewish state, having the support of U.S. President Joe Biden, is oblivious to the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which called upon Israel to stop its genocide against Palestinians of Gaza and report the matter to the U.N Security Council for final decision.

Never before in the history of the recent past can one observe the colossal loss of human lives in Gaza and the massive displacement of people since October 7, the day when Hamas attacked Israel from land, sea, and air, killing 1200 people and abducting 250 Israeli and foreign nationals. The Israeli retaliation against the unprovoked attack of Hamas was predictable. Eliminating Hamas from Gaza and releasing hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 were the strategic objectives of Israel. Still, after more than four months of its attack, Israel is unable to accomplish its objectives. Neither Hamas has been liquidated, nor all its hostages have been released.

The escalation of the Gaza war into Lebanon and Yemen is now a reality. Billions of dollars of American military and financial assistance to its Jewish ally also failed to bend Hamas and its supporters like Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen, and the Iranian regime. The genocide of Palestinians of Gaza and their killings in the occupied West Bank resulted in international condemnation and outcry, particularly in the West, where large-scale demonstrations against the killings fields in Gaza also divided the Israeli public opinion. The ICJ ruling against Israel is another factor that galvanized popular sentiments against the regime of Benjamin Netanyahu and accentuated its international isolation.

Is there a way out of the deadly and bloody standoff in Gaza, or if not, for how long the cycle of violence will continue? Will Israel succeed in accomplishing its strategic objectives of eliminating Gaza, getting the release of all its hostages, and creating a buffer between its border and Gaza so that in the future, that territory is not used against Israel? Why did the Arab-Muslim world fail to help the beleaguered population of Gaza, and how did South Africa, a non-Muslim/Arab country, approach the ICJ by filing a petition against Israel that it was involved in genocide against the Palestinians? These are the questions that are raised by those who are greatly concerned with the ongoing cycle of violence in Gaza and Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank.

It seems that the war in Gaza is like a ‘zero-sum game’ because neither Israel has been able to eliminate Hamas nor Hamas has been able to defeat the Jewish state. It seems that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested U.S. President Joe Biden to give a little more time for his forces to finish Hamas’s military capability. By targeting Rafah crossing and Khan Yunis, Israeli forces are trying to eliminate tunnels of Hamas, which are being used to carry out attacks against the Jewish state.

Even then, despite its military might and the enormous support from the U.S., Israel has not been able to neutralize Hamas because of the will and determination of that Palestinian force to continue its jihad against the Jewish state. It is amazing that without getting any military or financial support from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two neighbors of Israel, Hamas has been able to sustain its resistance against Israel. It also means that before carrying out its deadly attack against Israel on October 7, Hamas must have planned how to deal with Israeli retaliation because of support from the Palestinian people of Gaza that they cannot tolerate any further acts of barbarity from the Jewish state.


Light at the end of the tunnel for ending the war in Gaza amidst scores of tunnels constructed by Hamas to target Israel depends on three significant realities. First, in the war of nerves between Israel and Hamas, the winner will be those who possess the will and determination for a cause. On October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killed more than 1,000, and abducted 250 people, the Jewish state had a high moral ground because it was a victim of aggression. But it lost that high moral ground when it launched massive retaliation, killing and displacing Palestinians in Gaza. Critics argue that Hamas should have redeemed the ramifications of its brutal attack against Israel because of the predictable human catastrophe that plunged Gaza and the occupied West Bank. By facing more than 28,000 casualties and displacement of 75% of the population in Gaza, the sufferers are Palestinians instead of Israelis.

The war cabinet of Israel, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, is still intact with a two-pronged objective to eliminate Hamas and get all the hostages released. In marked contrast, Hamas is unwilling to cease its resistance against Israel and release hostages unless the Jewish state releases Palestinian prisoners. As a result of the prevailing standoff, there is a marginal likelihood of any breakthrough for a ceasefire in Gaza. Second, diplomacy and the pursuit of a pragmatic approach can help the stakeholders in the Gaza conflict achieve a permanent ceasefire. Qatar is relentlessly trying to help negotiate a truce, whereas U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin is trying his best through ‘shuttle diplomacy’ to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Intransigent positions of Hamas and Israel impede any diplomatic breakthrough for getting a plausible situation that can end the genocide of Palestinians and establish lasting peace.

Finally, without a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine are sovereign entities living side by side and putting an end to more than seven decades of unfortunate phases in the Middle East, peace will not endure. According to the PLO-Israeli accord of September 13, 1993, signed in the White House under the mediation of then-President Bill Clinton, it was agreed to grant autonomy to the West Bank and Gaza pending the resolution of issues like the return of refugees and formation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The assassination of Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a fanatic Jew on November 1, 1995, derailed the Oslo peace process and paved the way for the surge of the right-wing Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel reneged from the PLO-Israeli accord and refused to proceed with establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Hundreds of illegal Jewish settlements established during the regime of Netanyahu in the occupied West Bank changed the demographic complexion of that area, reducing the Palestinian majority. Systematically, Netanyahu, during his 25 years of rule, blocked any effort that called for forming a viable independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The military withdrawal of Israel from Gaza in 2006 was of no use because the Palestinian enclave faced sea, land, and air blockade by the Jewish state and repeated attacks to counter Hamas. It seems there is no way Israel can have peace unless it mends fences with Palestinians. Likewise, Hamas must understand that its bloody attack on Israel on October 7 led to the killing of 28,000 Palestinians and rendering millions homeless.

While the immediate task should be to reach a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages taken by Hamas, and payment of compensation by Israel for colossal damage in Gaza, the ultimate solution is the formation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Read More

One thought on “Zero-sum Game”