In 2017, BESA Researchers Warned of Hamas Building Itself in Order to Carry Out a Large-Scale Raid Into Israel

BESA Center
November 8, 2023
Paper No. 2229

Over six and a half years ago, two researchers from the BESA Center, Dr. Eado Hecht and Prof. Eitan Shamir, warned of a development that could lead to a scenario similar to the one that occurred on October 7 in the Gaza envelope. They and others made similar warnings about Hezbollah, but few pointed to the possibility of such a scenario unfolding in the south. The BESA researchers not only outlined a scenario markedly similar to what actually happened in the south on 7th October 2023 but made practical suggestions regarding the force-structure required by the IDF to provide an effective response to such a scenario. They criticized the significant reduction in ground forces, especially in the armored and artillery units. The authors analyzed the various non-state military organizations facing Israel, including Hamas, and revealed the goal of their force build-up: creating the capacity to launch incursions with significant forces to occupy Israeli settlements close to the border. The researchers argued that in view of this enemy strategy, the IDF’s continued reduction and neglect of major ground forces, coupled with reliance on precision weaponry and airpower, constituted a flawed strategy.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 1 (September-October 2023)

Ma’alot (Ascent): The IDF Will Need to Drastically Update Its Multi-Year Program

The IDF’s new multi-year strategy, Ma’alot (Ascent), led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, was formulated before the Hamas mass murder attack on Israel of October 7, 2023. It was intended to build upon its predecessor, Momentum, emphasizing human capital, countering Iranian threats, boosting land maneuvers and border defenses, and refining organizational culture. It will need a drastic update following the war.

Hamas Is ISIS

Are Hamas’s brutal patterns of action, especially those of Saturday, October 7, 2023, comparable to those of ISIS? A comparison of the two Islamic terrorist organizations indicates a conceptual and practical similarity, including: shared fundamentalist ideology, their status as hybrid entities, their control over populations, Islamic indoctrination, education to hate, brutal operating methods, and commitment to jihad. The State of Israel, which just experienced the worst terrorist attack since its establishment, must continue to advance its tactical and strategic goal of eliminating Hamas with the clear message: Hamas is equal to ISIS.

The Gaza War and International Law: An Informed Assessment

In its obligatory war against Palestinian terror – a criminal process encouraged and sustained by Iran – Israel is acting within the bounds of pertinent international law. Though this assessment is difficult to acknowledge by many who can see only the tangible effects of Israeli military counterterrorism, it is offered here from the informed standpoint of authoritative legal standards. Palestinian civilian casualties of Operation Swords of Iron are the predictable and indeed intended result of Hamas’s perfidy. It is beyond legal question that the original Hamas terror acts of October 7, 2023, which included murder, rape, and hostage-taking, represent egregious, Nuremberg-level violations of humanitarian international law.

URGENT: An Israeli Strategy for a Post-Hamas Gaza

BESA Center
October 25, 2023
Paper No. 2225

Israelis have united around the goal of toppling the Hamas regime, but little has been said about what would come after. This issue is critical to Israel’s security and must be addressed. Israeli interests are best served by establishing in Gaza a PA-linked administration alongside a massive reconstruction program backed by the US and other international and regional actors. Israel’s declaration of support for establishing such a regime in Gaza as soon as possible would provide a political direction to the military operation and enhance its international legitimacy. Defeating Hamas must ultimately mean not only its military destruction but the empowerment of a moderate Palestinian alternative.

Swords of Iron: There Is No “Political Hourglass,” But Clear Decisions Are Required

Unlike during previous conflicts, Israel is not constrained this time by a “political hourglass” and it would be wise to remove this concern from the table if a decisive outcome in the ground operation against Hamas is to be achieved. The ability to maintain this situation over time is in Israel’s hands. Seven clear decisions, detailed below, will be required to strengthen Israel’s hand, along with the establishment of mechanisms necessary for their implementation.

The End of Mowing the Grass: If Israel Wants to Continue to Exist, It Must Uproot Hamas from Gaza

On October 7, 2023, Israeli deterrence completely collapsed. As a result of a surprise attack by Hamas, Israel suffered a severe defeat in terms of casualties and property losses. The enemy infiltrated Israeli territory, captured cities and towns, decimated their populations, and held them for many hours. The only way to turn this achievement by Hamas into a pointless endeavor is for Israel to dismantle the Hamas regime in Gaza and destroy its military capabilities. This is for two reasons. First, in order to ensure the safe return of Israeli citizens to the Gaza periphery, the threat must be removed completely and their sense of security fully restored. Secondly, an end to the war without the destruction of the Hamas regime in Gaza would be considered a success for the terrorist regime and serve as a model and inspiration for other actors in the radical axis who seek the elimination of Israel.

Hamas Is a Jihadist Organization Committed to Israel’s Total Destruction

In order to understand the nature of the strategic surprise inflicted by Hamas on Israel on October 7, it is essential to understand its jihadist orientation, which was formulated on the movement’s founding and has never changed. While Israel employs a Western military concept that avoids war and sanctifies the value of life, the jihadist concept aspires to self-sacrifice, death, and a cosmic religious struggle against “Jewish infidels.” Hamas has no concern whatsoever for the welfare of the local Gazan population, which means it does not have the Achilles’ heel of the Israeli side: the commitment to uphold the sanctity of life for both its citizens and its soldiers. Israel continues to operate using a Western democratic approach in the face of an eternal jihad. It will have no choice but to fight the jihadist mindset without any containment or restraint.

The Islamic State of Hamas

The Islamic State of Hamas does not represent the Palestinian national movement but is in fact a fundamentalist terrorist organization and a branch of the ISIS organization in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is a direct ideological descendant of the global jihadist organizations. It fully embraces both their ideology and their grotesque methods of terrorism and mass destruction. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal’s call upon Muslims on October 12 to hunt down and kill Jews wherever they are found on earth is reminiscent of the United Islamic Front’s declaration of jihad against Jews and Christians, demonstrating the clear connection between Hamas, al-Qaeda, and ISIS. As stated in its charter, Hamas has been committed since its inception to the genocidal destruction of the Jewish people. Beyond that goal, it shares with al-Qaeda and ISIS the objective of global Muslim conquest and views all Western countries as Crusader enemies, with the United States at the forefront.

Perspectives Papers