A new report from the BBC shows what’s left of the Gaza Strip following years of violence between Israel and Hamas. It comes as hundreds of Hamas fighters reportedly remain trapped in Gaza tunnels as the first phase of the ceasefire holds.
Damage in Gaza
Israel has not allowed any journalists into Gaza, but has allowed a few select reporters into certain areas.
They described what they found as total destruction. They said the area was “a monochrome landscape of rubble stretching flat and still for 180 degrees, from Beit Hanoun on one side to Gaza City on the other.”
The area, which once housed tens of thousands of people, has been left almost completely barren since Israel began its counter-offensive against Hamas following its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.
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“What has happened in Gaza, it’s beyond imagination, beyond belief, destruction, death,” Alon Ben-Meir, senior fellow at the World Policy Institute and former international relations professor at NYU, told Straight Arrow News. “Gaza is basically a wasteland, completely from the north to the south.”
The Israel Defense Forces still occupy most of Gaza.
“One really has to ask himself the question, where do we go from here?” Ben-Meir said. “Where does Israel go from here? Netanyahu’s objective of destroying Hamas obviously failed miserably. Hamas is still up and standing, albeit weakened.”
Hamas fighters trapped
Hundreds of Hamas fighters still standing are reportedly trapped inside tunnels in Israeli-controlled Gaza.
The soldiers haven’t shown signs of surrender, including killing two Israeli soldiers after the ceasefire agreement. With Israel controlling the area, options are limited for those fighters.
“The Israelis obviously are not going to allow them to come out,” James Gelvin, professor of Middle East history at UCLA, told Straight Arrow News.
Israel has made their plans clear.
“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear: the IDF is acting to destroy the tunnels and eliminate Hamas terrorists without any restrictions within the yellow area under our control,” Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, posted on X this week.
Officials on both sides believe there are roughly 200-300 fighters trapped.
“The way to solve it is to allow them safe passage,” Ben-Meir said. “That is something that I think is being discussed right now, because, according to the ceasefire, Israel should not be in a position to be taking them prisoners again.”
Ceasefire agreement
The first phase of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, implemented last month, has largely held up, despite some attacks from Israel and the recent attack from Hamas fighters.
“It is holding, and that is a good sign,” Ben-Meir said.
So what comes next? In theory, stage two would involve the disarmament of Hamas, establishing an interim government for the area, and other measures.
“The Trump plan is not going to reach stage two,” Gelvin said. “There’s not going to be a disarmament of Hamas. There’s not going to be an international stabilization force that’s going to be deployed without the disarmament of Hamas. And so, I see it as a continuation of where we are now.”
Ben-Meir said there’s only one way for all of this to end peacefully.
“I have yet to see anyone, Israeli or Palestinian, to come up with any solution that will produce peace where both sides can accept and live with, short of the two-state solution,” Ben-Meir said. “Not a single Israeli has come up with any viable alternative.”
During his recent appearance on “60 Minutes,” Trump said he believes Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords even without a two-state solution. That’s an agreement to normalize relations between Arab states and Israel.
Trump has wavered on committing to a two-state solution, but Ben-Meir said now’s the time to push.
“Trump has a probably unique opportunity to do so, because he’s extremely popular in Israel,” Ben-Meir said. “And if he’s advancing peace between Israel and Syria, as the reports are going on right now, potentially Kazakhstan is joining the Abraham Accords as well. So, he’s in a position where he can exert tremendous influence on Israel.”
Gelvin was less optimistic.
“I think what Trump is going to end up doing is going to be walking away from the plan itself, giving Netanyahu free rein to do whatever he thinks is necessary to eliminate Hamas,” Gelvin said. “The Israelis are at this point waiting for Hamas disarmament, knowing full well that it’s not going to happen.”
The pope and Palestine
All this comes as Pope Leo XIV met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican.
The hour-long meeting reportedly focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and joined in the calls for a two-state solution.
The Vatican has consistently promoted that as the only path for long-term peace.
“The Pope has no role to play in this whatsoever,” Gelvin said. “He’s got a moral power, but that’s about it.”
Morality is something Ben-Meir brought up when it comes to Israel’s violence.
“Israel created a major problem for itself in the eyes of the international community,” Ben-Meir said. “And they need to work on it now, very hard, to restore some semblance of a moral standing in the eyes of the international community.”
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Hamas terror attacks occurred on Oct. 3, 2023. The attacks occurred on Oct. 7, and the story has been updated to reflect the correct information.
