A ceasefire came into force in the Israel-Hamas War in the morning of 19 January 2025.
At the current stage, the outcome constitutes a limited victory for Israel. It has failed to eliminate Hamas which retains control over most of the Gaza Strip. On the other hand, Israel has taken over a buffer zone within the Strip along its border with Israel, as well as the Netzarim area which cuts the Hamas-controlled territory in two isolated parts.
What follows in the near future is unclear. Possible scenarios include: 1) Israel’s maintenance of the buffer zone within the Gaza Strip in the long term, severely limiting the ability of Hamas to operate against Israel; 2) resumption of the war with Israel aiming to eliminate Hamas as a territorial entity; 3) Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The latter scenario would amount to Israel’s defeat in the war, because Hamas, while militarily crippled in the short term, would retain political and territorial control over the whole of the Gaza Strip and use it to continue its long-term struggle against Israel just like it did prior to the war.
Efforts Category: Hamas vs Israel Military Force
Modern Great Game Watch 