OPINION: What Israel's end game in Gaza?

As one of 10,000 Jewish people in the Albuquerque metro area, I have been closely following the Israel-Hamas war. While I don’t regularly attend any of the four synagogues in the city, I do not think I’m speaking out of turn to say Israel’s tactics are somewhat disturbing.

I am a secular, cultural Jew and an unapologetic Zionist. I believe Israel has a right to self determination and to exist within safe and secure borders.

After Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 251, I was wholly supportive of the extreme retaliatory and self-defense measures taken by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). But my position has been evolving, and I find myself frequently wondering, what is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s end game?

Seems like every week there are new reports and video from multiple media outlets about Palestinians killed in apartment building bombings, or the IDF shooting into crowds of starving people gathered at food distribution sites or walking to get to those sites.

The World Health Organization says 94% of hospitals in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, and the few still operating are without basic medical supplies, electricity and clean water. According to the Global Education Cluster, more than 95% of schools in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged.

I have long held the opinion that the Israeli government has used its weapons to protect its citizens, while Hamas has used its citizens to shield its weapons. Israeli officials have not been shy about releasing video of armaments it said were uncovered in apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, even mosques — and of course, tunnels.

Those officials estimate Hamas has excavated between 350 and 450 miles of sophisticated tunnels at a cost likely in excess of $90 million.

Funding, apparently, was not a problem for Hamas. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said aid to Palestinians between 1994 and 2020 totaled more than $40 billion. The United States, a major donor, has provided $5.2 billion through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since 1994. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. contributed $618 million to the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) for humanitarian aid in Syria and the Palestinian territories.

A Qatari official told the German magazine Der Spiegel that his government has given $1.8 billion to Hamas since 2012, and U.S. officials estimate that Iran has given Hamas between $70 million and $100 million annually. In addition, Hamas has for years collected revenue from import taxes.

Because Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization, the U.S. and the European Union have not given direct assistance to Hamas; still, it’s unclear how much, if any, of that aid may have wound up in Hamas’ coffers.

Whatever the number, Hamas appears to have had access to significant financial resources — resources it could have used to improve the lives of Gaza residents.

Even before this current war with Israel, two-thirds of Gaza residents lived below the poverty line and the unemployment rate was 45%, according to the World Bank. Various aid groups estimate 80% of the population relied on humanitarian assistance.

No doubt the Israeli blockade of Gaza factored in their inability to thrive.

Not to minimize the deaths of Israelis killed by Hamas and the abductees still missing, the war in Gaza has claimed more than 62,000 lives, including humanitarian aid workers, journalists and health care providers, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

It’s fair to question if Hamas even cared that the consequences of their violent attack on Israel would be borne by Gaza residents. Based on their past experiences with Israel, Hamas certainly knew the IDF response would be extreme, protracted and result in massive civilian casualties.

And yet, they executed the assault anyway.

That’s who they are.

But who is Benjamin Netanyahu and what is his end game?

He’s already bombed Gaza into the Stone Age, and now he’s bombing the stones. The UN estimates that 92% of all residential buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.

Clearly, Hamas has been de-fanged, but they are still slithering around. Due to a lack of verifiable intelligence the Israelis are just guessing about how many Hamas fighters have been killed, how many remain, and how many new ones have been recruited. And as history has shown, the best recruitment tool is vengeance.

Where does this leave the Palestinians of Gaza?

Israel is not going to absorb 2 million residents of that territory and give them Israeli citizenship. Evacuating them from one part of Gaza to another and then bombing the areas of relocation is not exactly great urban planning. As for the long talked about two-state solution, forget it. Netanyahu and his ultranationalist, religiously conservative coalition in the Knesset have emphatically rejected it.

If Netanyahu’s goal, in addition to the freeing of the hostages, is the total elimination of Hamas — which is integrated into the general population of Gaza — then the killing of Gaza residents by the IDF will continue unabated. And maybe there will be Hamas fighters among those deaths. Or not.

So the war grinds on after nearly two years, triggering increased anti-semitic protests and attacks around the globe. Like many Jews, I have mixed feelings. I want Israel to flourish and be safe, but I am anguished at the sight of people in Gaza, especially children, who are starving, living in rubble, lacking access to basic medical care and surrounded by death.

I’m not smart enough to suggest any resolutions to this conflict. I’m simply asking the question:

What’s the end game?

Rick Nathanson was an Albuquerque Journal reporter for 44 years.