{"id":1206,"date":"2024-01-31T18:56:13","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T08:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/?p=1206"},"modified":"2024-05-08T19:17:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T09:17:38","slug":"gaza-postmodern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/gaza-postmodern\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza Postmodern"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>First published on <a href=\"https:\/\/newcatallaxy.blog\/2024\/01\/31\/gaza-postmodern\/\">NewCatallaxy.blog<\/a> on 31st January, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the first declarations of intent was reported from an <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/10\/11\/israeli-official-says-gaza-will-be-made-a-city-of-tents\/\">unnamed official<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The unnamed defense official told Israel\u2019s Channel 13 that the Palestinian territory, home to more than 2 million residents, would be reduced to rubble. \u201cGaza will eventually turn into a city of tents. There will be no buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>There have been plenty of others. In November the Agriculture Minister and Security Cabinet member Avi Dichter announced that, \u201cWe are now rolling out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/israel-news\/2023-11-12\/ty-article\/israeli-security-cabinet-member-calls-north-gaza-evacuation-nakba-2023\/0000018b-c2be-dea2-a9bf-d2be7b670000\">Gaza Nakba<\/a>.\u201d That is, the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>The Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, lays out the rationale to LBC interviewer Iain Dale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tzipi Hotovely, Israel&#39;s Ambassador to the UK, says \u201cevery school, every mosque, every second house has an access to tunnel\u201d and poses a risk to Israel.<br><br>Asked if that\u2019s a call for the destruction of all of Gaza, she asks \u201cdo you have another solution?\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0adtDyPm02\">pic.twitter.com\/0adtDyPm02<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1742791319284596830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 4, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the clearest call for ethnic cleansing of Gaza came from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. On the 31st of December, he told Army Radio,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If in Gaza there will be 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs and not 2 million the entire conversation on \u2018the day after\u2019 will look different.<\/p>\n<cite>https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/israel-hamas-war\/article-780229<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s an ambitious policy, but it would forestall any accusations of Israel&#8217;s being an apartheid state, because there could be no majority of Palestinians in areas under effective control by the Israelis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made similar calls for &#8220;voluntary emigration,&#8221; which brought a rare <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/us-slams-israeli-ministers-statements-resettlement-palestinians-outside-gaza-2024-01-02\/\">rebuke from the US State Department<\/a>. But Netanyahu has not offered such a direct rebuke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>For months, Netanyahu has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/as-politicians-argue-the-future-of-gaza-netanyahu-is-in-no-hurry-to-release-a-plan\/\">bucked US requests to begin planning for who will govern the Gaza Strip after the war<\/a>, ostensibly recognizing that his far-right coalition partners would reject proposals that do not include Israel\u2019s reoccupation and resettlement of Gaza \u2014 which the security establishment and Washington oppose.<\/p>\n<cite>https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/likud-minister-slams-smotrich-ben-gvirs-unrealistic-call-for-gazan-emigration\/<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In a video posted on the 8th of January, Shlomo Karhi, the Israeli Minister of Communications, restated the aim of <a href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v46fgvt-israeli-officials-admit-ethnic-cleansing-is-the-goal.html?start=472\">&#8220;voluntary emigration&#8221; of the population of Gaza<\/a>. On the 1st of January, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-in-talks-with-congo-and-other-countries-on-gaza-voluntary-migration-plan\/\">Netanyahu told an internal Likud meeting<\/a> that, &#8220;Our problem is [finding] countries that are willing to absorb Gazans, and we are working on it.&#8221; These reports were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-denies-it-is-talking-to-other-countries-about-absorbing-gazan-immigrants\/\">subsequently denied<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not all doom and gloom when discussing these issues, though, as this comic turn by a Channel 14 news anchor shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/ComicTurn.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mass population expulsion is enabled by ensuring that the current population has nowhere to live, and no infrastructure to depend on. For this part of the policy, so often discussed by representatives of the Israeli government, including many Ministers, Israel needs only its own resources, and the steady supply of munitions from the United States. It has been, and continues to be, put into effect, as can be seen in the following videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 20th December, land clearing in Northern Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/demolition2024-01-09-17.06.57.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And from the 22nd, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Slavyangrad\/80554\">some tunnels are destroyed<\/a> (Requires Telegram Tg). Any buildings above them are collateral damage. And <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/Slavyangrad\/81856\">on the 30th<\/a> (Tg).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Israeli slapstick from 3rd of January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Meanwhile IDF continues to destroy Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/art3llSwv3\">pic.twitter.com\/art3llSwv3<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1742271859448586718?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 2, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yet another destruction video from IDF soldiers in Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pvlhsLDdUz\">pic.twitter.com\/pvlhsLDdUz<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1742978571700953436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 4, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From the 6th of January, having a casual smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/demolition-a-quiet-smoke.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It was getting dark on the 8th of January, so the scene was lit up with flares so that every moment could be caught on video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Massive, perhaps the biggest demolition, in Gaza by Israeli soldiers with explosives. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/219EX7kEI0\">pic.twitter.com\/219EX7kEI0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1744006588942156280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 7, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is how Israel demolishes Gaza with explosives. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vGA63ppZWl\">pic.twitter.com\/vGA63ppZWl<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1744074105689625068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 7, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">More footage of demolition of Khan Yunis, Gaza by IDF. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vXsSe3IAm7\">pic.twitter.com\/vXsSe3IAm7<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1744105800509935629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 7, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">IDF demolishes area near the beach in Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XpJnyWrHud\">pic.twitter.com\/XpJnyWrHud<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1744992670190125407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Going for a record in Khan Yunis; 18th January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">IDF demolishes another part of Khan Yunis, Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nsWhrFAoGI\">pic.twitter.com\/nsWhrFAoGI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Clash Report (@clashreport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clashreport\/status\/1747620135769149573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 17, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> This one from 21st of January generates a lot of excitement in the English speaker recording the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/demolitionFuckin-a.mp4\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The following is a relatively subdued effort of the IDF. A couple of adjacent buildings, the surroundings of which have been bulldozed, are demolished in a single explosion. The buildings are those of the University of Palestine, a private university, and the last higher education institute left in Gaza, until now. The demolition can be seen embedded within this video from a press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Reporter Matt Lee pusing US State Department Spokesperson, Matthew Miller, on what he thinks of the destruction of a University in Gaza. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XWAlSv0TDe\">pic.twitter.com\/XWAlSv0TDe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; WearThePeace (@WearThePeaceCo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WearThePeaceCo\/status\/1748392840122466328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 19, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Lee&#8217;s questions about the context in which this demolition takes place can be asked equally pertinently about <em>every<\/em> such demolition shown above. There is no threat, and, if we are to believe the Israeli insistence that they will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/israel-to-retain-security-responsibility-in-gaza-after-war-says-israeli-official\/\">retain security control of Gaza<\/a>, there is not even any remote future military justification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attention is now turning to the Philadelphi Corridor; that is, the buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border. The Gaza Strip is not part of Israel. The Corridor is the border between Egypt and Palestinian Gaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The IDF had controlled that zone under terms set out by its 1979 peace treaty with Egypt until it withdrew from Gaza in 2005\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Egyptian army in agreement with Israel increased its forces at the border both in 2005 and in 2021 to prevent weapons smuggling, [head of the State Information Services (SIS) Diaa Rashwan] explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEgypt has full sovereignty over its land, and has complete control over its entire northeastern borders,\u201d he added. \u201cIsrael&#8217;s continued marketing of these lies [that Egypt has not controlled smuggling] is an attempt to create legitimacy for its attempt to occupy the \u201cPhiladelphi Corridor\u201d or \u201cSalah al-Din Corridor\u201d, in Gaza along the border with Egypt, in violation of the security agreements and protocols signed between it and Egypt,\u201d Rashwan stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also reminded Israel that Cairo also considers any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai as a \u201cred line\u201d that should not be crossed.<\/p>\n<cite>https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/israel-hamas-war\/article-783285<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The last point is the most relevant. If Israel is to &#8220;encourage emigration,&#8221; the only avenue open to it is the Philadelphi Corridor. Egypt has made plain that it will not let the Gaza Strip empty into Sinai. As of mid-December, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimesn7cgmftshazwhfgzm37qxb44r64ytbb2dj3x62d2lljsciiyd.onion\/2023\/12\/14\/world\/middleeast\/gaza-border-rafah-egypt.html\">&#8220;hundreds of thousands&#8221;<\/a> of refugees had crowded into Rafah and adjacent areas of the Corridor. If Israel takes control of the border, it has the option to punch holes in the wall, and encourage refugees to flow into Sinai. Hamas did it in 2008, so that Gazans could stock up with difficult-to-obtain supplies in Egyptian Rafah. Since then, Egypt has done its own land clearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Between 2013 and 2015, Egypt also evicted thousands of people from their homes and destroyed more than 3,000 structures along its side of the border to create a buffer zone, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/report\/2015\/09\/22\/look-another-homeland\/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah\">a report by Human Rights Watch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<cite>https:\/\/www.nytimesn7cgmftshazwhfgzm37qxb44r64ytbb2dj3x62d2lljsciiyd.onion\/2023\/12\/14\/world\/middleeast\/gaza-border-rafah-egypt.html<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Passage through the wall, should it eventuate, would be a one-way ticket. It would also end the Peace Treaty, which has held <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Camp-David-Accords\">between Egypt and Israel<\/a> since 1979. The speculation comes in the wake of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/anticipating-long-war-idf-pulls-one-of-four-divisions-out-of-gaza-for-rr-training\/\">withdrawal of one of four <em>divisions<\/em><\/a> of IDF troops from Gaza for R&amp;R and training. The IDF estimate that fighting will continue through all of 2024, despite claims that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/gallant-intense-fighting-over-in-northern-gaza-will-soon-end-in-khan-younis-too\/\">&#8220;the [Hamas] battalion frameworks have been dismantled&#8221; in Northern Gaza, and that &#8220;the Khan Younis Brigade is gradually disintegrating as a fighting force.&#8221;<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2024-01-20\/rifts-emerge-among-top-israeli-officials-over-gaza-war\/103371246\">Rifts<\/a> are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/1\/19\/israeli-minister-says-only-a-deal-can-free-captives-as-rifts-split-cabinet\">opening<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonde.fr\/en\/international\/article\/2024\/01\/21\/israel-deep-internal-rifts-in-war-cabinet-begin-to-show_6452125_4.html\">war<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/01\/19\/middleeast\/eisenkot-netanyahu-israel-war-politics-gaza-intl\/index.html\">cabinet<\/a>. The particular issues are not as important as the facts that the rifts are public. Cracks come through pressure. If the war is conforming to the press releases there is a strong incentive to maintain cohesion. Talk about a regionally destabilising takeover of the Egypt-Gaza border is a way to &#8220;explain&#8221; why Hamas has not yet been broken despite all of its dismantling and disintegration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Since this post was first drafted, more details have come to light. The split in the war cabinet, <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2024\/01\/19\/middleeast\/eisenkot-netanyahu-israel-war-politics-gaza-intl\/index.html\">alluded to above<\/a>, was made public by Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff, and a member of the Benny Gantz led National Unity alliance. Gantz and Eisenkot are both members of the war cabinet, which Netanyahu pulled together to pursue a unified approach to the war. Eisenkot&#8217;s son was killed in fighting in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eisenkot revealed the he had argued himself hoarse (literally) in an October 11 cabinet meeting to forestall a preemptive strike against Hezbollah. About the course of the war, he had this to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThose who say that there was a major blow and demolition of the capabilities in the north of the strip are telling the truth,\u201d Eisenkot told&nbsp;told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 News on Thursday evening.&nbsp;\u201cThose&nbsp;who talk about an&nbsp;absolute defeat and lack of will and ability do not tell the truth. This is why there is no need to tell tall tales.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Even this may have been optimistic. The CNN report is from 20th January. On the 16th, the Institute for the Study of War, a pro-Israel and pro-Ukraine military think tank, published its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.understandingwar.org\/backgrounder\/iran-update-january-16-2024\">update on the situation in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Palestinian militias are likely re-infiltrating into areas of the northern Gaza Strip where Israeli forces previously conducted clearing operations. CTP-ISW has observed renewed militant activity in several neighborhoods across the northern part of the strip in recent weeks, as Israeli forces have transitioned to less intense fighting there. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on December 31, 2023, that it withdrew five brigades from the northern Gaza Strip and said that it would transition to targeted raids with its remaining forces. CTP-ISW assessed on January 2 that the IDF transitioning to this new phase of operations will very likely enable Hamas to reconstitute itself militarily.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In this environment, Israel&#8217;s demolition activities carry some risks. On the 22nd of January, Israeli soldiers who were rigging buildings for demolition were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/in-deadliest-incident-of-gaza-combat-21-soldiers-killed-as-buildings-collapse-in-blast\/\">attacked with RPGs<\/a> or other anti-tank weapons. The attack triggered the demolition charges, killing most of the IDF soldiers in the vicinity. Reports vary from 21 dead to 24, the number Netanyahu announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the 28th of January, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/israel-struggles-to-destroy-hamass-gaza-tunnel-network-fb641122\">Wall Street Journal<\/a> headlined &#8220;Israel Struggles to Destroy Hamas&#8217; Tunnel Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>As much as 80% of Hamas\u2019s vast warren of tunnels under Gaza remains intact after weeks of Israeli efforts to destroy them, U.S. and Israeli officials said, hampering Israel\u2019s central war aims.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is that Hamas still has significant operational capability. It seems that Israel is incapable of destroying Hamas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First published on NewCatallaxy.blog on 31st January, 2024 One of the first declarations of intent was reported from an unnamed official. The unnamed defense official told Israel\u2019s Channel 13 that the Palestinian territory, home to more than 2 million residents, would be reduced to rubble. \u201cGaza will eventually turn into a city of tents. There &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/gaza-postmodern\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Gaza Postmodern&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[45,65,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-gaza","category-new-catallaxy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8SCfl-js","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1200,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/al-shifa-et-al\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":0},"title":"Al Shifa, et al.","author":"Me","date":"Wed 31st Jan '24","format":false,"excerpt":"First published on NewCatallaxy.blog on 22nd December, 2023 On the 16th of November, White House spokesman John Kirby said,\u00a0 \u201cWe have our own intelligence that convinces us that Hamas was using Al Shifa [hospital] as a command and control node, and most likely as well as a storage facility. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gaza&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gaza","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/geopolitics\/gaza\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/6pTYHBZVgVQ\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1198,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/building-hamas\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":1},"title":"Building Hamas","author":"Me","date":"Wed 31st Jan '24","format":false,"excerpt":"First published on NewCatallaxy.blog on 15th December, 2023 On the 8th of October, an angry article appeared in The Times of Israel.\u00a0 For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it\u2019s blown up in our faces, or so ran the headline. One has to read some way into the article to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1208,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/02\/the-gates-of-gaza\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":2},"title":"The Gates of Gaza","author":"Me","date":"Sat 3rd Feb '24","format":false,"excerpt":"(Published at New Catallaxy on 5th February 2024) \u00b9 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. \u00b2 The Gazites were told, \u201cSamson has come here.\u201d And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gaza&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gaza","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/geopolitics\/gaza\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/NakhalOz-1024x965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/NakhalOz-1024x965.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/NakhalOz-1024x965.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newcatallaxy.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/NakhalOz-1024x965.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1196,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/israels-tet-moment\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":3},"title":"Israel&#8217;s Tet Moment?","author":"Me","date":"Wed 31st Jan '24","format":false,"excerpt":"First published at NewCatallaxy.blog on 11th October, 2023 Shortly after midnight on January 30-31, 1968, during celebrations of the Lunar New Year (Tet) , NVA and Viet Cong (VC or NLF) forces launched the Tet Offensive in South Vietnam. The intel.gov site(*) includes pages on declassified Tet documents, and a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gaza&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gaza","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/geopolitics\/gaza\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1202,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2024\/01\/priorities\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":4},"title":"Priorities","author":"Me","date":"Wed 31st Jan '24","format":false,"excerpt":"First published on NewCatallaxy.blog on 26th January, 2024 For most of 2022, and until the great counter-offensive broke on the Russian defence lines of Zaporozhzhia on mid-2023, it seemed that the greatest priority of the Biden administration, and most of Congress, was promoting and resourcing Ukraine\u2019s proxy war against Russia.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gaza&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gaza","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/geopolitics\/gaza\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1040,"url":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/2021\/07\/breaking-news-stairs-sue-dan-andrews-for-defamation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1206,"position":5},"title":"Breaking News: Stairs sue Dan Andrews for defamation","author":"admin","date":"Thu 8th Jul '21","format":false,"excerpt":"Published at Catallaxy Files on 10\/06\/2021 A set of stairs today filed a defamation suit against Victorian Premier Dan Andrews, lawyers representing the as-yet unnamed stairs announced today. \u201cDan Andrews called our client \u2018slippery\u2019,\u201d a spokes-entity for the stairs\u2019 lawyers said. \u201c\u2018Slippery\u2019 is an entity slur that stairs take very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Catallaxy Files&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Catallaxy Files","link":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/category\/publications\/catallaxy-files\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1221,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions\/1221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pbw.id.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}