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Israel's shocking loss

Why Hamas won the war

The babies burned in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the raped victims at Nova Festival, the tortured hostages, these aren't footnotes in a PR campaign; they're reasons why Hamas must be held accountable, not celebrated for "genius" tactics.

4 min read
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Bezalel students protest demanding an end to the war in Gaza, and against the humanitarian crises there, outside the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, July 30, 2025
Photo by Rachel Alroey/Flash90

In the brutal calculus of modern warfare, victory is not always measured by territory gained or enemies defeated on the battlefield. Sometimes, it manifests in the court of global opinion, where narratives shape alliances, policies, and futures.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict drags into its 663rd day, with Gaza reduced to rubble and tens of thousands dead, a provocative question emerges: Has Hamas, despite its military setbacks, emerged victorious through a masterful public relations campaign? The group's October 7, 2023, assault, marked by the massacre of civilians, hostage-taking, and documented atrocities, sparked Israel's devastating response. Yet, nearly two years later, international momentum toward recognizing a Palestinian state has accelerated, fueled by images of starvation and suffering in Gaza. This shift, however, glosses over Hamas's own culpability in the humanitarian disaster and its brutal treatment of both Israelis and Palestinians alike. While Hamas may claim a political win, it comes at an unconscionable cost, raising doubts about whether this is truly a triumph or a tragic mirage.

Militarily, Israel holds the upper hand. Its operations have dismantled much of Hamas's infrastructure, killed key leaders, and prevented the group from launching another large-scale incursion like October 7. Recent reports indicate Israel has warned Hamas of potential Gaza annexation if hostages are not released. Hamas continues to fire rockets and ambush soldiers, but it has refused to surrender, prolonging the conflict at immense civilian expense. The war, which resumed after a brief pause, has heaped ruin on Gaza without fully eradicating Hamas, leaving Israel in a quagmire of ongoing security threats and international isolation.

Yet, politically, Hamas's strategy appears to have paid dividends. The narrative of Gaza as a starving, besieged enclave has dominated global headlines, prompting a wave of diplomatic action. As of July 2025, 147 out of 193 UN member states already recognize a Palestinian state, and more are poised to follow.

In a stunning development, major Western powers, including Canada, France, the UK, Malta, New Zealand, and Australia, have announced plans to formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. This includes G7 nations like Canada and France, marking a rift with traditional allies like the US and increasing pressure on Israel. Israeli officials decry this as a "reward to terrorism," but the momentum is undeniable, driven by outrage over the humanitarian crisis. Even Arab nations are breaking ranks with Hamas, condemning the group but also calling for Palestinian statehood.

The starvation narrative is central to this PR success. There is definitely food insecurity in some parts of Gaza, though to what extent, no one knows, besides those living through it. Aid convoys are chaotic too. Israel's restrictions on supplies and military actions around aid sites have been widely blamed for exacerbating the crisis, turning global sympathy toward Palestinians.

However (and this is something the entire world happily glosses over, who is o blame for all of this? Hamas. The group has :diverted" humanitarian aid (stolen, hoarded, looted and/ resold it at exorbitant prices), placing bounties on aid workers, and torturing or killing Palestinians who criticize them. In one documented case, a 22-year-old Palestinian was tortured to death by Hamas terrorists after publicly protesting the group. Reports also highlight Hamas's abuse of its own people, including brutal physical assaults on critics in Gaza (think bone breaking and shooting people in the knees, plus executions, because when you're Hamas, anything goes.) Moreover, the group's refusal to release the remaining 50 hostages, subjected to starvation and torture, has stalled ceasefire talks time and again and prolonged the war, and Gazan people's suffering. . Hamas demands the release of living terrorists in exchange for hostage bodies, a stance that has hardened Israeli resolve.

This duality exposes the hollowness of Hamas's "victory." Their October 7 attack, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and involved rape, mutilation, and hostage-taking, was not a liberation strike but a calculated provocation designed to elicit a harsh response and galvanize international support.

It worked, in a sense: The ensuing destruction has isolated Israel diplomatically. But at what price? Gaza's infrastructure is 70% collapsed, and the Palestinian cause advances on the backs of starving children and dead aid seekers. Families of Israeli hostages, still pleading for their loved ones' return, react with anguish to state recognition moves, seeing them as incentivizing terrorism.

In truth, no one has "won" this war. Hamas's PR genius has thrust Palestinian statehood into the spotlight, but it masks their authoritarian grip and willingness to sacrifice their people for ideological gains. Israel, meanwhile, faces mounting isolation, yet grapples with the trauma of October 7 and ongoing threats. The only real victors are despair and division, with Gaza's ruins as their bitter trophy.


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