Israeli writer: The Gaza war is the worst in our history and Hamas has not been defeated.

The Israeli writer Ben Caspit described the ongoing war that Israel has been waging against the Gaza Strip for 23 months as "the worst in Israel's history."

In an article, the writer stated that the results of this war so far "show a catastrophic failure despite nearly two years since its outbreak."

Caspit cited "the death of more than 900 Israeli soldiers during the war, without Israel being able to achieve the promised 'decisive victory' against the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas), which the writer considers to be the 'weakest' among Israel's enemies."

The writer held Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "fully responsible for the ongoing deadlock that Israel is experiencing."

Caspit believes that "Israel has been engaged in an unprecedented war in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years, during which it has mobilized a massive arsenal of military power against Hamas, which has established an army for itself."

He stated that Hamas "does not have an air force, does not possess heavy weapons, does not have armored equipment, does not have anti-aircraft missiles, does not have a naval fleet, does not have radars, and does not have interceptive weapons, and is confined to an isolated strip that is besieged from the ground, flat and free of ground obstacles."

He commented on this by saying, "If the Israeli army, in all its might, is unable to defeat a besieged movement in a narrow strip without air defense or advanced weapons or a regular army, then this is a strategic disaster."

He added, "What has happened so far can only be described as defeat, as Hamas is much weaker than the Lebanese Hezbollah, and cannot be compared to Iran or even Syria, yet Israel has not succeeded in fully subjugating it."

He also referred to the Israeli soldier Ariel Lublin, who was recently killed, saying, "He has become the 900th casualty from the army in this war, embodying the magnitude of the heavy price that Israel has paid in vain."

Caspit considered that these numbers reveal "a futile war" managed by Netanyahu and his government.

He confirmed that the Israeli army "has already dismantled the military structures of Hamas and killed thousands of its fighters and leaders, but the absence of a political vision and responsible leadership has made victory unattainable on the ground."

Ben Caspit continues in his article, saying, "The problem is not in the army's capabilities or in the size of the sacrifices, but in the dysfunctional political leadership."

Netanyahu still insists on promoting the idea that "the decisive victory has not yet been achieved," merely to prolong his stay in power and avoid his ongoing trial on corruption charges.

Caspit harshly criticizes Netanyahu's recent argument that Israel "now enjoys international legitimacy to occupy Gaza," considering this statement "completely inverted, as Israel has become a pariah state on the international stage, and its status is at an all-time low."

He adds, "They spit on us and condemn us in every corner of the world, including America, our greatest friend, including areas where one could until now feel free as an Israeli and a Jew, while the process of recognizing a Palestinian state accelerates.

The world has grown tired of us."

The writer believes that "any new military operation will exacerbate Israel's isolation, while part of the lost international sympathy could have been restored through entering into a partial exchange deal that saves the lives of dozens held by Hamas."

The article touched on the Israeli prisoners still in Hamas's grip, considering that Netanyahu "is manipulating their fate and making them hostages to his political interests, just as he is a hostage" to the blackmail of his right-wing partners Ben Gvir and Smotrich.

The writer concluded his article by saying, "We are hostages to Netanyahu, and our captives are with Hamas, and this equation is like the Bermuda Triangle of the horrific reality into which Israel has slipped in the summer of 2025."