Mossad Commentary
@MOSSADil
GREAT ANALYSIS OF HOW THE CEASEFIRE SAVED HAMAS FROM DEFEAT
“The Ghost of Gaza: How Hamas Survived” by
@greggromanFULL REPORT IN COMMENTS
Thesis: The Oct 10 ceasefire “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory,” legitimizing Hamas, trading vast prisoner releases for hostages, and banking on a Phase Two (disarmament/governance) that is structurally unworkable—allowing Hamas to reconstitute and fight again.
Key points1. Two-phase deal is contradictory: Phase One needs Hamas as a capable partner; Phase Two demands its disarmament and political marginalization—both cannot be true at once.
2. Leverage squandered: Israel halted its most decisive Gaza City offensive at peak advantage after U.S. pressure, shifting from “finish the job” to a ceasefire that preserves Hamas’s core structure.
3. Disarmament is paper-thin: Hamas never agreed to disarm; enforcement is undefined and practically infeasible (hidden weapons, decentralized cells, unmapped tunnels).
4. Governance vacuum risk: Replacing Hamas institutions with a “technocratic” committee and an international board is unrealistic; PA is weak, UNRWA’s removal creates service gaps Hamas or gangs can refill.
5. Military reality mixed: Hamas is degraded (territory/control reduced, leaders killed) but resilient (replacement recruits, intact know-how, residual rockets, surviving commander al-Haddad).
6. Psychological defeat absent: Hamas frames survival plus massive prisoner release as strategic victory; martyrdom narrative and Doha leadership persist.
7. Regional backing is conditional: Arab states support the plan to manage their interests, not to ensure Hamas’s defeat; help evaporates if violence resumes.
8. International pressure ≠ strategy: U.S./EU support sustains a ceasefire but cannot coerce Hamas to disarm; monitoring won’t stop rearmament or tunnel revival.
9. Hostage swap = moral hazard: Largest release ever (life-sentence terrorists + detainees) incentivizes future hostage-taking and returns experienced operatives to the field.
10. Phase Two outlook: Likely prolonged drift—partial, cosmetic steps while core issues (disarmament, withdrawal, governance, statehood) stay unresolved, setting conditions for renewed conflict.
Bottom line: The ceasefire yields short-term humanitarian wins (hostages home, aid flow) but preserves the problem. Without decisive defeat and enforceable structures, Hamas survives, rebuilds, and the war resumes on worse terms.
2:56 PM · Oct 11, 2025 · 13.4K Views
https://x.com/MOSSADil/status/1977085837134197173