Six months on, no end to deadly conflict in sight Israel divided domestically, isolated internationally

When Israel declared war against Hamas last October, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group.

Six months later, Israel finds itself in a far different place: bogged down in Gaza, divided domestically, isolated internationally and increasingly at odds with its closest ally, the US. The risk of a broader regional war remains real.

Despite Israel’s fierce military onslaught, Hamas is still standing, if significantly weakened. The offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 80 per cent of the population and leaving over one million people on the brink of starvation. Yet Israel hasn’t presented a post-war vision acceptable to its partners and ceasefire talks remain at a standstill.

Battlefield stalemate

When Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set two objectives: destroying Hamas and bringing home the hostages.

Despite his repeated pledges to achieve “total victory,” his goals remain elusive.

After steadily conquering most of Gaza, Israeli ground troops are in a holding pattern marked by small tactical operations and uncertainty over whether the army will march into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Hamas’ last significant stronghold.

At the same time, Israel hasn’t been able to halt the daily attacks it faces on its northern front from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In contrast to Hamas, Hezbollah’s much larger arsenal remains intact, leaving the fate of tens of thousands of uprooted civilians on both sides of the border up in the air. The tensions have threatened to drag in Hezbollah’s sponsor, Iran, especially after an airstrike widely attributed to Israel killed two Iranian generals in neighbouring Syria last week.

Growing isolation

Israel enjoyed broad international support following the October 7 massacre, which was the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust. However, that goodwill has been replaced by impatience and outrage as conditions in Gaza worsen.

More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war and international aid officials say roughly one-third of Gaza’s population is dealing with catastrophic hunger.

Meanwhile, the UN world court, looking into genocide allegations against Israel, has ordered Israel to do more to protect Gaza’s civilians.

Israel divided

After a period of broad unity early in the war, Israel has returned to its divided self.

Weekly protests against the Government

have grown and attract thousands. They are rooted in longstanding grievances against Netanyahu — from his political alliances with far-right and ultraOrthodox parties to his open-ended corruption trial. However, they have drawn new strength from his failure to bring home the hostages.

Israel says 134 of the 250 captured remain in captivity and has declared more than 30 hostages dead. There are widespread fears the true number is higher.

The plight of the hostages and the anguished cries of their families have resonated deeply with the Israeli public. Some hostage families were among the tens of thousands of people who took to the streets calling on the Government to resign. It was the largest anti-government demonstration since the war began.

Not going anywhere

Netanyahu’s popularity has plummeted since the outbreak of the war, with many holding him responsible for the intelligence and security failures that allowed the October 7 attack to occur. Yet he has rebuffed calls to resign or launch investigations into what went wrong.

Netanyahu faces no immediate threat to his rule. For now, his coalition partners, also facing likely losses at the polls, remain firmly behind him.

Neither is Hamas

The Israeli offensive has caused mass destruction across Gaza and inflicted heavy losses on Hamas. Israel claims to have killed some 13,000 Hamas fighters and dismantled the group’s military capabilities across most of Gaza.

Yet even if these claims are true, Hamas is still intact in Rafah and its fighters have regrouped in areas where Israel previously declared victory. Although there have been small shows of public discontent with Hamas in Gaza, there have been no public signs of broad opposition to the group.

Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian analyst, said Hamas keeps reappearing and Israel hasn’t allowed any alternative to emerge.