A MILITARY PERSPECTIVE OF THE SITUATION IN GAZA The Gaza Strip was a product of the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt. Israel wrestled control of it from Egypt and handed it over to the Palestinian authorities. Palestinians were given control of their own territory within Israel in the hope that this would allow Jews and Arabs to live in harmony. But Gaza was too small an area to ever be an effective long-term solution for its non-Jewish population. It is one of the most densely populated urban areas on the planet. Overcrowding and poverty have been a constant source of friction between Palestine and Israel. Gaza is often described as an open prison, because unending violence has resulted in its borders being closed off. The events of 7/10 can only be described as Israel's own 9/11. Whatever you religious beliefs, political views, or personal opinions, no sane and reasonable person can condone the slaughter of defenceless babies and octogenarians. Any nation attacked in this way would react as Israel has and seek to eliminate such a threat. But how can Israel actually do this in practical military terms? Israel has cut supplies of vital resources to Gaza, because it knows that no one can survive long without water and electricity. It hopes that this will trigger an exodus of people that will give it freedom of movement within the Strip. But Gaza is home to 2.2 million people living in a parcel of land that measures 40 km x 12 km (365 sq. km). Israel must control the outflow of people to have any chance of success. Planning and managing how ordinary Palestinians leave Gaza and where they go will be crucial to the success of Israel's entire military operation. However, Hamas may attempt to prevent ordinary families from leaving and use them as human shields. Doing so would unavoidably cause further innocent bloodshed. In fact, Hamas' callous game plan may well be to ensure that Israel causes as many civilian casualties as possible, because it knows that a death toll higher than the one it inflicted on 7/10 would weaken support for Israel internationally. Assuming Gaza can be cleared, Israel seems likely to raze it to the ground. Any Hamas terrorists found in the area will be eliminated. But, even when Hamas ceases to exist, it is doubtful that the Palestinians who have left Gaza will ever be allowed to return. If they do, it may only re-create the conditions that will enable history to repeat itself in 20 years time. This means that once the local population has left Gaza, they will become permanently displaced. The United Nations will need to be ready to step-in and create a safe haven for them. The question of what happens to them next will be of vital importance if Israel is to retain the moral high ground in this situation. Militarily, Hamas' goal will be to damage Israel as much as it can. Hamas terrorists will willingly die if it encourages other Middle Eastern states, such as Syria or Iran, to enter into a wider conflict with Israel that destroys it. As the "Gaza Strip problem" is resolved, there can be no question that both Israel and Hamas will be battling for their own survival. If Israeli Forces proceed to mount a large urban operation with the local population still living in Gaza, achieving success without collateral damage will be impossible. The death toll on both sides will be unimaginable. This is what Hamas wants. If it can trigger a humanitarian crisis, this will strengthen support for Palestine at Israel's expense. Any analysis of these options immediately shows that taking the fight to Hamas will be difficult, dangerous and costly. it is easy to say that Israel's best response would be to do nothing, but that would only facilitate a second, potentially more deadly attack. It is a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. There is a very real danger that Israel's forthcoming "Special Military Operation" will the same kind of unwinnable quagmire that Ukraine has been for Russia, or Afghanistan for the West. Worse still, the situation could escalate. looking from the outside in, something smells fishy. 7/10 looks like a carefully planned attack sponsored and equipped by despots who live in places like Tehran or Moscow. The clear intent seems to be to cause maximum instability in the Middle East at the cost of many lives. If it is part of a wider plan to eliminate Israel, it will not succeed. Whatever happens, the events that take place in the months that follow will affect us all.