The Observer view: it’s up to Israel’s allies to persuade Netanyahu to stop standing in the way of peace

Even his defence minister knows that there can be no military solution to the war with Hamas

The emotional vow by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, to destroy" Hamas after it massacred about 1,200 people on 7October 2023 was understandable. But in practice it was never a realisable aim. Eight months into the ensuing conflict, more than 35,000 Palestinians are dead, yet Hamas is still fighting in parts of Gaza that Israel's army thought it controlled, a new humanitarian crisis looms around Rafah, 640,000 people have been displaced again, and the agony of Israeli hostages and their families is daily renewed. Three more bodies were recovered on Friday.

Defeating Hamas remains a vital objective for Israel and most western and Arab governments, as well as ordinary people appalled by its actions. But, from the very first, Netanyahu has failed, or rather refused, to articulate a day after" strategy for administering (and rebuilding) Gaza once its terrorist rulers are supposedly destroyed". Despite the evidence, he refuses to accept that military force alone will not work. Hamas's defeat, if it is to be permanent, must be political, legal, economic and psychological as much as physical.