What are Hamas’ Options after Gaza Massacre, Freeing of Four Captives? – Analysis

June 8, 2024 

How will the Resistance respond to the Israeli massacre and rescue of captives? (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Editors

The massacre in Nuseirat and the operation to rescue Israeli captives leaves the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza with several major issues to contend with: How to respond?

Shortly following a deadly Israeli military operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, the American news website Axios spoke of direct American involvement.

Though the operation, which killed over 210 Palestinians and wounded over 400 more, has been marketed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others as a historic success, Axios revealed a direct American role. 

Four Israeli captives were reportedly freed as a result of the operation, which included the mass killing of Palestinians. 

“A US official told Axios the US hostage cell in Israel supported the effort to rescue the four hostages,” Axios said. 

This raises the question: Why would intelligence or military sources reveal such information to Axios immediately after the operation? 

The most plausible answer is that the Americans wanted to send a message to Hamas and other Resistance groups that failing to respond to the supposed proposal made by US President Joe Biden during his speech on May 31 would result in yet more direct American involvement. 

Hamas did not respond to the American proposal, which, by the admission of Biden himself, was an Israeli proposal, for two reasons: Whatever is being offered does not guarantee a permanent end to the war, and the proposal lacks vital details that could make the difference between its success or failure. 

The truth is, however, the Americans have been involved in this war from the very start. They have done more than give Israel all the needed ammunition to carry out its genocide in Gaza but various news reports suggested that US soldiers are also on the ground in Gaza, starting with reports of the presence of US Delta Force back in November.

Also, early suspicions that the US floating seaport in Gaza had more sinister reasons than simply carrying humanitarian aid have largely been confirmed. 

The port only transported a limited number of aid trucks since it began its operations on May 17. The final destination of these trucks is yet to reach the most affected Palestinian communities which have subsisted in a state of famine in northern Gaza for months. 

The port was constructed in the area currently controlled by the Israeli military, which splits northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip, known as Netzarim.

Video footage following the news that four Israelis had been freed showed an American Apache helicopter transporting the freed captives opposite the floating port. 

This leaves the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza with several major issues to contend with: How to respond to the massacre of hundreds of civilians? How to deny Netanyahu any strategic victory in Gaza? How to respond to the direct American involvement in the war?

Responding to the Massacre 

Palestinian Resistance in Gaza has been following a very clear strategy regarding its confrontation with the Israeli army. The strategy has resulted in the destruction of hundreds of Israeli Merkava tanks, killing and wounding thousands of soldiers. 

The above strategy is unlikely to change. However, to offset Israeli propaganda and its possible influence on the Israeli mindset, the Resistance is likely to carry out yet more complex military operations, with the decided goal of taking yet more Israeli military captives, as has taken place in Jabaliya last May 27.

Responding to Netanyahu’s Propaganda

Immediately after the military operation in Nuseirat, Netanyahu began sending messages to various parties. 

“Once again you have proven that Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with creativity and boldness that knows no bounds,” the Israeli prime minister said.

According to Netanyahu, the strategy used in Nuseirat will be duplicated elsewhere until all Israeli captives are free. 

Hours later, Netanyahu called on his rival in the War Council, Benny Gantz, not to act upon his threats to leave the emergency government.

For Netanyahu, this is possibly the most important strategic goal of the operation as he places Gantz before two difficult options: leaving the government would be presented by Netanyahu and his allies as if Gantz has abandoned Israel during a moment of victory; yet staying in the government would deny Gantz his only winning card in putting pressure on Netanyahu to change course. 

For the Resistance to respond to Netanyahu’s politicking would require an operation that has even greater strategic value than anything that could possibly take place in Gaza itself. 

Though such an operation in the West Bank is a possibility, a joint Palestinian-Lebanese Resistance operation in south Lebanon or in northern Israeli settlements could in fact be of greater strategic value. 

Responding to the Americans

Palestinian Resistance could also use direct American involvement in the massacre in Nuseirat to deny the US any role in the mediation, whether through Qatar or Egypt. 

Despite everything that Washington has done to directly support Israel in the war and to defend it against accusations of genocide and extermination, the US continues to present itself as a mere political broker. 

The American position has been validated by that of Arab mediators, who continue to treat the Americans as an outsider to the war in Gaza.

The above assertion can easily be proved through a joint statement issued by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States on June 1, in which they called on both Hamas and Israel to accept the supposed American proposal.

It should be obvious to the Palestinians now that Washington is not a mediator. In fact, it never was. And that the Arab mediators are only mere supporting actors in the American political spectacle in Gaza, which merely aims at allowing Israel to buy time.

It is plausible that Hamas should liberate itself entirely from the current negotiations paradigm, reject any American involvement and return to its declared position on May 6. 

Back then, Hamas accepted a gradual but permanent end to the war based on a proposal that was jointly presented and approved by the Americans themselves. 

Returning to negotiations now would allow the US to carry on with its current strategy, which proved of little value to the Palestinian people and Resistance, whose ultimate goal is to end the Israeli genocide.

(The Palestine Chronicle)