Let's also not forget that Hamas still exists and is regaining numbers and territory: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98g1klxnpxo

You can't just stamp out a guerilla resistance the way Israel have tried to do. I suspect Hamas reckoned that a well-timed short term sacrifice would turn global opinion against Israel.

Well they still have the full support of the usa government, and I'm pretty sure that even democrats would still keep supporting Israel.

So what did they really lost? Do they even care that some Europeans don't like them ? Europeans are not the one who sell them 99% of their weapons.

Europe is extremely important to Israel. Their legitimacy stems from seeing themselves as European. Their loss of support from Europe is very bad in the long term.

Yes, US is supporting them to. They are losing from both sides, though. They may have part of the remaining generation in power and that's it.

The US is no longer a reliable partner. Once the current administration is gone the likelihood of US support is less than guaranteed. Even with this administration in place support is less than guaranteed. All it takes is the right moment to set off a tantrum and friends become enemies. Israel really doesn't have allies so much as accomplices and that type of friend only sticks around when it helps them.

It's notable that the US right wing have turned against Israel.

Witness Tucker Carlson dismantling Huckabee, and Zionist ideology, recently.

Where it ends up, no one knows. But this is different.

Trump is as far right as you can go and still support Israel. If America goes further to Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes land Jews will wonder why they let so much evil be done in their name by the Israeli government.

Carlson has never been that strongly pro-Israel as I understand it. He's carefully toed a line that maintains a solid right-wing fanbase. See e.g. this [0] from 2012 and this [1] from 2019.

[0] https://www.politico.com/media/story/2012/01/tucker-carlson-...

[1] https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/archbishop-pelosi-says-walls...

Of course that was just one example. But Carlson has definitely let loose since his Fox News days and, if you're aware of what's going on, you'll know that there is a significant section of the US right wing now that is anti-Israel. This isn't in doubt.

On the flip side, I'm not saying they are pro-Palestine, it is definitely an America First agenda. However, the unified front on Israel is finally broken. For the best, I'd say.

I’m not sure most non-Europeans care what Europeans think about them. :)

Now that the world has knowingly seen a genocide and done virtually nothing, and that the US continues to openly support Israel, I think this was a massive victory for Israel.

The genocide and ethnic cleansing Israel is committing is the best recruitment campaign for Hamas.

Most people in Gaza now aren't old enough to have voted for Hamas. Median age is estimated to be under 20.

Doesn't matter, there is always going to be resistance against the occupation anyway, if it isn't called "Hamas" its going to be called something else. This is not an enemy they can ever defeat and people either know what that means or are too afraid to think that far. You just can't have other peoples land, you just can't, not without vaporizing (literally [1]) the people you took it from.

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/2/10/israel-used-wea...

Yes no doubt, but I still feel as though it's important to dispel the "they voted for this" myth because it comes up a lot — it may still be true if an election was held today, but we can't know because the people in Palestine haven't voted for decades. When we're talking about who's suffering there, it's primarily young people who've had no voice in anything for their entire lives.

What in actuality was happening long-term is the increasing integration and cooperation of Gazans with Israel, reduction of tensions and hopes for eventual peace. Which is an existencial threat to Hamas.

Is that the same cooperation seen in the West Bank where Israel keeps sending settlers and make Palestine land smaller and smaller every single year?

I highly recommend to watch the Oscar winning movie “no other land”, for anyone that thinks that Israel would just let them leave in peace

Israeli settlers are despicable, but even in current government those who support them are minority freaks(who Hamas has empowered very much after October 7th).

Also it is a two way street, there is also a problem of Palestinian settlers, which while I do want to highlight is separate and in no way justifies the Israeli ones, is still a real problem and harnesses a lot of bad publicity when Israel destroys said illegal settlements.

Don't make things up. Palestinians cannot settle their own land. The Israelis are the only ones settling, i.e., colonizing.

> those who support them are minority freaks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_clean_Wehrmacht

Sure, they only have several ministers in the government, Likud politicians show up at settler events, they keep changing the laws to be more in favor of settlers, etc etc...

As for Palestinian settlers, where would those even be?

What? Settlers are totally tolerated and supported by the state. Look at Ariel, it is a fully established town settled almost 50 years ago with a university that operates in every practical way as part of Israel. If you think the government doesn't support them, what would support look like?

> even in current government those who support them are minority freaks

Well, and the Minister of National Security, a settler himself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itamar_Ben-Gvir

Gaza has been under a near-total naval blockade since 2007 (which is an act of war BTW). Any meaningful "reduction of tensions" would have included lifting that.

That is an obvious lie, but also, even if it were true, who cares? It doesn't really matter what the UN thinks about anything.

That's not a counterpoint to what I said.

Uh, was this happening 1967-87? Because they were sure more integrated before the First Intifada

I also almost believe that top echelons of Israeli intelligence knew about the upcoming attack, but they didn't expect THAT many fatalities and that Hamas were going to take hostages alive.

That's interesting. It could be. Maybe some day we'll find out.

A never ending conflict is what maintain the Likoud in power. This far right party and government has no interest in peace and is insulting the memory of the people who died in the holocaust.

>My theory is that they knew this would happen and they did it because they knew it would garner support (which it did) and they also knew they had nothing to lose because this is what would have happened in the long-term anyway. They chose between a quick death and a slow death. Unfortunately, everyone else who originally chose them to protect them didn't get to choose. I doubt most would have voted for this if they had that choice.

Maybe. I actually think they didnt expect to be so successful also.

> They chose between a quick death and a slow death.

It continues to be strange to me that "not choosing death" was apparently never an option.