By Wednesday, Israel had been engaging Hamas for 200 days after Hamas breached its border fence on October 7. However, the way Israel has conducted its attack on Hamas has raised several pertinent questions.
First, Israel’s perceived view as one of the most advanced military armies in the Middle East has proved to be a fallacy.
Why else would a country whose army possesses the most advanced military apparatus not be able to eliminate, within 200 days, a handful of “terrorists” operating in a tiny area of land of about 360km²?
Second, it should be borne in mind that this is not a war between two countries fought between two armies. Israel is a country that has a well-equipped army, with tanks, missile launchers, an air force with state-of-the-art jets and bombers, and a navy that has cutting-edge battleships and corvettes. Hamas, on the other hand, does not enjoy luxury war machinery and its combatants run around on foot.
Yet, the so-called mighty Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) could not eliminate Hamas after 200 days of continuous engagement. What is further shocking is that during the past six and a half months, while tens of thousands of women and children were massacred by the IDF, the IDF ran out of munitions. The US had to rush to provide more munitions to the IDF, so that it could continue slaughtering more innocent people.
Yet, Hamas, who was on the receiving side for the same period, appeared not to have run out of munitions, yet nothing can enter Gaza without the IDF having knowledge of it. Besides the aforementioned, Hamas managed to counter the IDF in the Gaza strip. This further highlights the inability of the IDF to prevent the movement of munitions into Gaza.
Does the inability of the IDF to rescue the more than 130 hostages speak volumes about its incompetent soldiers, despite having been provided with cutting-edge war artillery? You be the judge.
* Adiel Ismail, Mountview.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to arglet@inl.co.za.
All letters to be considered for publication, must contain full names, addresses and contact details (not for publication)