As Israel Defense Forces tanks and infantry push into Gaza City, the question that matters most is what happens after Israel takes operational control of the city. History offers examples of nations that fought hard to seize an objective, only to falter when it came to consolidating their gains. Many skilled generals and statesmen alike watched tactical victories erode when they did not follow them with strategically sound plans for the day after. This was the case after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003: A brilliant assault, leveraging Maneuver Warfare principles, quickly squandered by a lack of planning for what comes next.
U.S decision-makers based this lack of planning on the idea that the United States did not want to stay after deposing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. In essence, the invasion was a strategic half-measure.
Once Israel controls Gaza City, it must finish the job completely.
Half-measures have plagued Israel’s various Gaza campaigns for decades. The desire to stop Hamas mixed with the impulse to avoid condemnation or regional instability led to policy fits and starts. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 and, even after “mowing the grass” in a series of counter-terrorism operations, it withdrew and enabled Hamas time to build, rearm, and return to the fight.
Israel cannot afford to repeat these mistakes. It should lean on operational planning concepts to ensure long-term victory. Securing the Gaza City objective is only the beginning. Commanders must plan “Actions on the Objective,” steps necessary to lock in gains, maintain momentum, and prevent the enemy from reconstituting.
Accordingly, once Israel controls Gaza City, it must finish the job completely. This requires full control of Gaza that lasts indefinitely. Israel should lawfully evacuate Palestinian women and children to refugee facilities established by regional neighbors such as Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Western nations that claim to care about easing Palestinian suffering. Israel must sort the remaining men and detain those committed to violence against Israel.
Israel is on the cusp of comprehensively defeating Hamas. To stop short now would guarantee a repeat of the October 7, 2023, massacre. Hamas and others aligned to their cause of Israel’s destruction will return to the fight as soon as capable. To finish the mission in Gaza both ensures Israel eliminates Hamas and that it sends a message to every Islamist adversary: Any group that attacks Israel will guarantee its own destruction.
By executing a plan to resolve the Gaza situation definitively, Israel puts the region on notice. By forcing neighboring states and peoples to accept that Israel is not going anywhere, that its military strength is unmatched in the region, and that is has full U.S. support, can create the strategic space necessary to move towards the next phase of regional cooperation.
Global criticism will come, and false cries of genocide will ring out. But they lack evidence.
Military professionals are trained to recognize decisive moments in battle, those junctures when the opportunity to deliver a mortal blow to the enemy presents itself. Hesitation in such moments is catastrophic. In geopolitics, the same can be said for strategic tipping points. Israel, with U.S. backing, now faces one of those moments. Not only has Israel already destroyed a great deal of Hamas’s infrastructure but it has possibly also the most pro-Israel U.S. president. While the president has worked to maintain diplomatic maneuverability, he has remained behind Israel’s need to “finish the job.” Israel must seize this opportunity to achieve decisive victory.
Global criticism will come, and false cries of genocide will ring out. But they lack evidence. Receptive audiences in the Western press may have already decided the information war against Israel. So be it. Arguments against decisive victory are arguments for endless conflict. It is an argument for suffering without resolution. What should matter most is destroying the enemy and controlling the ground to prevent the enemy from coming back.
Half-measures lead to quagmires. They allow adversaries to survive battlefield losses and persist. Terrorist groups are adept at absorbing these temporary blows and carrying on their cause. The cycle of war will continue. The only option for peace is to seize the objective and hold it, until the cause is defeated.
