Israel accidentally kills hostages - what should be the next step?
Israel has, as announced, continued its operations against the radical Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip despite the latest UN resolution. But now a terrible mistake has been made: three of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas were accidentally shot dead by Israeli soldiers. Commentators discuss whether this is a sign that Israel should change its strategy.
Fatal accident with fatal consequences
Israel is losing control of the situation on several levels, says La Stampa:
“The Israeli soldiers who killed three hostages 'did not follow the IDF's rules of engagement'. After only a few hours of embarrassment, Israel absolved itself of any responsibility with this brief statement in a painful and regrettable, but also politically awkward episode. All is fair in war, they say. But in a war like the one in Gaza, a claustrophobic war broadcast live 24/7 on screens around the world, the smallest episode can have a devastating global impact. What the old-school military and the Israeli government may not yet have understood: the persuading of opinions surrounding the conflict, if not the conflict itself, is now being taken out of their hands.”
High time for a rethink
Things cannot go on like this, writes the Frankfurter Rundschau:
“Israel's army and government urgently need new tactics - and a coherent long-term strategy. ... An end to mass air strikes, an end to the rattling chains of large groups of armoured vehicles, and a switch to 'focused' in-and-out attacks against Hamas fighters, carried out by elite soldiers on the basis of improved intelligence. ... Such a strategy won't solve the conflict, but it could contain it. This is precisely what US President Joe Biden, for both global and domestic political reasons, is aiming for. Will Netanyahu, under pressure from the hostage disaster, finally take some good advice from friends?”
Negotiations the only viable option in the long term
The Israelis need a new government, Dagens Nyheter concludes:
“Perhaps the terrorist organisation Hamas can be eliminated at the cost of enormous civilian casualties, but then of course it will only be a matter of time before the 'new Hamas' emerges. For normal Israelis there is only one long-term path to security, and that is negotiations. At the moment there is little support for this in Israel, but at least you could have a government that does not actively arm settlers, abolish the rule of law and bomb Palestinian civilians more or less indiscriminately. Then Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners would have to go.”
Ceasefire would be a gift to Hamas
Kurier argues that in principle Israel is right to continue its war against Hamas:
“Israel has announced that it will continue the war against Hamas even without international support. A ceasefire would be a gift to Hamas, allowing it to return and threaten Israel again. Is Israel right? Yes. Even 70 days after the attack on Israel by unleashed Hamas hordes, this cannot be stressed enough. No political starting point justifies such a crime against Jewish or other lives. And Hamas is only fighting with one goal (supported by Iran) - to destroy Israel.”