Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas – which has allowed for the release of dozens of hostages – looks set to continue. But make no mistake: this war is far from over. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas – a mission that he will not back down from any time soon. But the fight against an estimated 30,000 Hamas soldiers will be a long and difficult one. While Israel’s firepower vastly outmatches that of Hamas, defeating an insurgent army will prove a difficult endeavour. It could find itself in a situation comparable to Ukraine – another country with state-of-the-art weaponry that struggles to deliver a knock-out blow.
Both Ukraine and Israel are reaping the benefits of using precision fire weapons, such as 155mm artillery, and drones. But this military technology cannot on its own guarantee victory. The two countries face determined adversaries who are willing to endure huge numbers of casualties. Hamas and Russia are also linked in another way: both have warm relations with Iran, which supplies Russia with drones and supports Hamas’s expertise in drones and missiles. While these weapons are often far more primitive than western-style military equipment, they also make the prospect of total victory for Israel and Ukraine unlikely.
Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.