A Step from Victory: How Long Will We Keep Believing the Lie About the War in Gaza?

Published originally in Hebrew on Walla.co.il by Nir Kipnis

Someone is lying to us, friends—and soon we’ll try to find out who. The IDF is not maneuvering in Gaza and is not truly fighting Hamas. Let’s set the record straight: yes, there is an Israeli military presence in Gaza, there are airstrikes—mainly from above—and control over the movement of people and cargo (even if it sometimes includes rescue convoys. Oops, it happens). But a war in the classical sense, where two sides fire at each other? Not really.

Anyone who’s ever served in Gaza—my own memories go as far back as the First Intifada—knows that it’s impossible to “maneuver” when facing a determined, armed enemy without accepting a heavy cost in human lives. Mainly theirs, of course (may they increase), but sadly also ours.

So who benefits from painting the current situation in Gaza as a "war"? To begin with—Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Minister of Defense, and their associates, who love to talk about determination but in practice prefer to do nothing. Then there are their right-wing allies, who want to appear as though their insistence on continued fighting—not, God forbid, something trivial like saving the hostages—is what brought about a "renewed offensive." But how long can this charade last?

What’s especially troubling, even before we dive into details, is the full cooperation from top military officials. The IDF has the capability to conquer Gaza in two days—or unleash airstrikes that could wipe out all resistance (regrettably including the hostages) in minutes. So why is the army playing along with this staged performance? Unclear. Perhaps to justify its budget, perhaps to increase pressure for more recruits and reserve duty days. Maybe the new leadership just doesn’t want to clash with its rotten board of directors.

What is clear is that the renewed military leadership, even if not fully aligned with the government’s political interests, is no longer standing its ground. And the military correspondents? Particularly disgraceful. They eat from the army’s hand, regurgitating half-truths worse than lies. Yes, even they have learned nothing from the catastrophic collapse caused by a media that turned from watchdog to lapdog.

Just last night, a car was hit in Ashkelon. It’s been exactly a year since Benjamin Netanyahu declared that we were "a step away from total victory." Sure, “a step” is a relative term—but “total victory”? Definitely not. Even though there’s a man in Washington who once promised to open the gates of hell over Hamas, it’s the residents of southern Israel who are going through their own private hell. They’ve been pushed to return to their homes—even had their hotel stipends cut off when persuasion didn’t work (well, someone’s got to feed the pockets of those threatening to topple the government).

Now, parents in southern towns and even central Israel stand helpless as their children tremble with every “Red Alert” siren. Their shame may not be their own, but the kids wetting their beds again because of "drizzles" that Israel once again chooses to “contain”.

I listened intently last night to Tomer Glam, mayor of Ashkelon and a man of influence within the Likud. He too parroted the lie: "Keep hitting Hamas!" he urged the government. Next time, Mr. Glam—for the sake of honesty toward your city’s residents—try saying “start hitting” instead of “keep hitting.”

How far have they gone to convince us that imaginary military pressure is working? They even showed us protests against Hamas without noting that for every protester (Lord have mercy), ten others are lining up to become martyrs. They are dying—and meanwhile, we are the ones being worn down in a war that’s lasted a year and a half, stuck in the station called "a step from victory."

It’s not that nothing is happening: Hamas is regrouping, Israel is losing more ground internationally (pro tip: next time you shoot up an ambulance convoy, don’t cover the bodies until you’ve made sure there are no phones with footage that could make the “most moral army in the world” look like it committed war crimes), the Americans are losing interest, and the hostages are dying a little more every day in the tunnels.

Who will stop the madness? Who will cut through the lies we’re fed, even by media outlets supposedly critical of the government? Who will silence the pompous nationalistic tone infecting even those who should be the opposition? The only one speaking clearly is Yair Golan—and the fact that a practically defunct party now polls at 16 seats suggests that there is a large public fed up with the sheepish silence of our supposed opposition.

Let it be said plainly: Hamas can be defeated. But there is a moral cost—the abandonment of the hostages’ lives. Ready to pay it? Wipe Gaza off the map. Not ready? Then stop talking about “toppling Hamas.”

There’s also the international image cost. Willing to pay that and face international court? Fine—don’t spare anyone, from elderly to teens, and march to The Hague as victors. But if you’re not willing—then at least shut up.

If Netanyahu were a real leader—not just in his own eyes—he’d have already made a decision in favor of one of these costly options (for clarity: it would be better if he chose saving the hostages, even at the price of temporarily yielding to Hamas demands). But instead, we have a man whose only strength lies in his speech, whose cunning is entirely devoted to political maneuvering and PR.

The State of Israel is led by a paranoid, indecisive liar—and above all, a coward. Unbelievable that anyone still buys his “total victory.” No wonder the only ones repeating this fantasy are those who profit from it or hate the alternative so much that they cling to a false messiah—the one who promised a year ago we were "a step away"...

Look what’s happened since: Hezbollah turned from a central player to a side note, Iran is licking its wounds, and the White House—once urging us to show restraint—is now pushing for decisive action. And still, this man can’t act.

Now imagine something worse: what if the rockets Hamas fired last night had caused fatalities? What if that pushed the army to deepen an operation it's already carrying out halfheartedly? What would happen then? We’d once again be bombarded with breaking news—“Cleared for publication”—without being any closer to victory. And the only difference between this update and the last would be the name of the IDF spokesperson.

Tonight they’ll talk about Trump meeting Netanyahu, about tariffs, about Iran—and maybe, just maybe, about the hostages. Even if the side headlines say "Qatargate," that’s good news for Netanyahu—anything to keep our eyes off the stalemate.

A year and a half. A year and a half of bereavement, of hostages, of displaced people, of economic collapse. A year and a half of pomp and nonsense—and the strongest army in the Middle East (some exaggerate and say "in the world") still hasn’t managed to defeat a terrorist organization that might have been “dealt a severe blow,” but just last night fired 10 rockets that covered half the country.

Total victory, yeah right.