Why Is Israel Prolonging the War?

The war on Gaza has broken all previous records and destroyed the idea that Israel would collapse during a long war. Is it possible to say war and aggression have become an intentional strategy for Israel? Some say that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war for personal political benefit; however, an in-depth look at the course of the war lends credence to the idea that it is a state strategy and not the political goal of a specific politician, whoever he may be. A close look at events reinforces the point. Since day one, the war scenario proves that the occupying state is chasing one fundamental target: the population. This idea takes us back to the founding of the Zionist idea and what clearly happened on empty land. This does not mean land free from inhabitants; it is well known that Palestinians have inhabited this land since the dawn of time. It means the voluntary and forceful clearing out of the population from the land.

What proves that the human element is being targeted in this war is the fact that decades ago, the subconscious mind of the occupying state decided that the greatest strategic threat facing the entity was a time bomb ticking within the growing Palestinian population. Therefore, the first danger the occupying state wants to deal with is eliminating a problem which compounds daily. It is almost certain that every Palestinian birth becomes an obsession for the leaders of the occupying state. The phenomenon of the occupier offering surrogacy in other countries to increase the number of Jewish citizens there demonstrates the depth of Israeli concern as it tries to bridge the population gap, and despite the fact that this project is new, it proves the extent of Israeli obsession. There have also been multiple attempts at forced displacement of Palestinians, as mentioned previously, and attempts to make it easier for Palestinians to migrate as a way to encourage Palestinians to leave voluntarily. As for the West Bank and Gaza, the occupying state has tried and is still trying to create forms of collective punishment, such as depriving Palestinians of their rights in 1948, disturbing the Palestinian way of life by building settlements and breaking up Palestinian social groups in the West Bank and depriving them of services. It is an attempt to strangle them. There is a siege and deepening divide in Gaza, and the occupying state is attempting to reinforce this dynamic in any way possible.

Recent aggression by the occupying state proves that this primary strategic goal underlies all other secondary goals. It influences every detail of the aggression. Since the first moment that it became clear that the population is the target, the occupying state has bombed Palestinians and forcibly displaced them at least three times since Oct. 7. Each time, there were excuses for bombing the region which contained the majority of Gazans. The occupying state followed the Gazans from the north to the middle, from the middle to the south, and into hospitals and camps. Even in the south, the occupying state pursued the Gazans from Khan Yunis to Rafah while its leaders talked about Hamas’ return to the north. All of this shows that the occupying state wants to prolong the suffering of Gazans with one primary hope: that migration from Palestine becomes a realistic choice for those who strongly oppose it. In the meantime, the occupying state is following a plan to control Gaza’s crossings until it controls the interior and exterior of Gaza, and the future of Gaza’s people. The occupying state even wants to control the seemingly temporary seaport the United States is building, which carries greater strategic objectives, the most important of which is the placement of clear maritime borders around Gaza, controlled and monitored by America and Israel.

Tightening American and Israeli control over Gaza’s land and sea entrances and exits, the fact that the border wall is 1 kilometer (approximately 3,280 feet) deep in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli control over all Gaza’s crossings, proves that there is a long-term strategy being prepared by Israel and the United States. Perhaps what is coming is much more dangerous than what we have seen from Israel’s effort to drain the population of Gaza and extend the war. All of the sabotage and destruction and killing is only the first step of this massive dangerous project. The greatest danger is that the occupying state will begin its second stage in the coming days, it will end the war and create all kinds of excuses to prevent the reconstruction of Gaza. The occupying state’s first plan takes advantage of war in all its complicated details. After the war, there is another long-term plan, and the primary target of both plans is Palestinian citizens; those who are the essence of the Zionist project, those who Netanyahu and others like him consider to be nothing but tools. Because of this, we must begin to think seriously about how to bring an end to the war and rebuild Gaza, unifying it with the West Bank. This will not happen unless the occupying state ends its forced and voluntary migration project.

The reasons for prolonging the war and the absence of resolutions are becoming clear. The first reason is destruction and the second reason is the prevention of reconstruction. Both of these goals seek the forced migration of the people of Gaza.