Gaza war: Hamas longs for escalation between Israel and Hezbollah

June 25, 2024

Retired Colonel Alon Eviatar was interviewed on 103FM last Sunday to discuss the ongoing battle by Israeli forces against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the possibility of an all-out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“I think Hamas will mark several important events in the coming days or weeks. The most important thing, above all tactical events and eliminations, in my opinion is that Hamas aims to bring about a real state of war between Israel and Hezbollah,” Eviatar explained.

“The Middle East is preparing for war. From Hamas’ point of view, this is the way out of the situation in Gaza. From Hamas’ point of view, a war with Hezbollah would end the military actions of the Israeli forces in Gaza on Hamas’ terms. For Hamas, a war with Hezbollah would also attack Israel from the north,” he added.

Hamas leadership conference in Gaza (Source: Atiya Muhammad,/Flash 90)

The Middle East is preparing for war

“The main headlines in the Middle East this morning are about preparations for war. I see this even in Jordan. This is the main discourse in the Arab media and in Arab news studios – everyone is talking about it. It is not about Arab states joining the war circle, but about preparing for the situation in which this could happen.”

Sinwar, Nasrallah, Netanyahu (Source: Arab Networks, Atiya Mohammed Flash 90, Dana Kopel, Pool (Flash 90)

Eviatar explained: “When I try to look into the psyche of Hamas, I see in the current situation in Gaza an accusatory finger from the public’s perspective. Despite the tactical military victories and daily successes, there are certainly other places where Israel naturally runs into the familiar framework of Hamas. Nevertheless, Hamas is not suffering from a decline in popularity among the public.”

“In other words,” Eviatar said, “the more impoverished and disconnected the population in Gaza becomes, the more dependent they will undoubtedly be on Hamas.”