On the balance – Harel in Haaretz:

‘Almost half a year after the start of the war, Israel's balance vis-à-vis Hamas is far from satisfactory. Israel found itself at war in an awful opening position: a massive invasion across the Gaza border, a Palestinian takeover of communities and territory, nearly 1,250 killed and murdered (most of them civilians) and more than 250 kidnapped.
There is no real way to undo this result. Today it is clear to everyone – other than blind followers – that the promises of "total victory" that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made every other day are totally worthless.’ (…)

‘But with the passage of time, it's necessary to acknowledge also what has not been accomplished, as compared to what was anticipated in Israel as the ground operation commenced. The expectation that Hamas' regime would be dismantled and that all its military capabilities would be annihilated was too high, certainly within a rigid time framework of a few months. The war was fated to be protracted, and it's hard to believe that it will be possible to dismantle the regime completely even in the future.
Furthermore, in regard to the goal that was added a few days later – creating the conditions for the return of the captives – if at the start of the war the government and the army maintained that it was the ground operation that brought about the first hostage deal, it's now clear that it will be difficult to impose on Hamas a second and a third deal, for the release of the remaining 134 captives.’

(…)
‘As for the number of Hamas personnel who have been killed, the IDF has presented estimates ranging from 9,000 to 12,000. The organization itself, in a rare reference in mid-February which appeared in a Reuters report, estimated its fallen at about 6,000. The real figure is likely somewhere in the middle.’

(…)

‘Israel is somehow managing to strike at everything the administration holds important, namely, preventing hunger, avoiding the killing of civilians and the extensive destruction of buildings protecting international organizations. The recent IDF snafus will likely heighten the pressure for a cease-fire. But given the current Israeli bargaining stance, that will not necessarily involve a hostage deal – and we can surmise that Hamas, having spotted a position of advantage, will exploit it to set more extreme terms.’

(…)

‘In the wake of the attack on the humanitarian aid convoy, tense talks were held between senior figures in Washington and Jerusalem in the past few days. The Americans were fiercely critical of IDF actions and demanded full transparency in the investigation and its conclusions.
Israel is somehow managing to strike at everything the administration holds important, namely, preventing hunger, avoiding the killing of civilians and the extensive destruction of buildings protecting international organizations. The recent IDF snafus will likely heighten the pressure for a cease-fire. But given the current Israeli bargaining stance, that will not necessarily involve a hostage deal – and we can surmise that Hamas, having spotted a position of advantage, will exploit it to set more extreme terms.’

(…)

‘The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Brown, recently told reporters that Israel has not received from the United States all the combat means and munitions it requested during the war in Gaza. Senior Israeli defense officials confirm that lately there has been a slowdown in the pace of the arms shipments from the United States, and that this is due to deliberate Pentagon policy at the directive of the White House.’ (…)
‘The Iranian threats come in addition to the unresolved confrontation with Hezbollah. The IDF has forced most of Radwan Force, the organization's commando unit, to pull back from the strip close to the Lebanon border, and has destroyed a large part of Hezbollah's outposts in southern Lebanon. However, this has not produced a solution, military or political, that will enable the return of the 60,000 Israelis who were compelled to leave their homes by order of the IDF and the government in October.’

(…)

‘In the political arena, Netanyahu is more or less in control. Incredibly, six months after the greatest disaster in the country's history, not only is he refusing to take responsibility, but his government is in no immediate danger. He has managed to stabilize his coalition.’ (…)

‘It's also impossible to ignore the effect of the desire for revenge. First there was the massacre and now there are the experiences of the soldiers in Gaza, where many say they've found arms or evidence of support for Hamas in every other home. The notion that "there are no innocents in Gaza" is rife among the combat troops.
When a war drags on, certainly one in an urban setting dense with civilians, the procedures and orders encounter chaos. The troops suffer from uncertainty, edginess and downright burnout; they fear attempts to strike at them at any moment. A soldier on edge is exhausted, often bored, and not exactly attuned to his commanders' orders.
This week, the reservists who photographed themselves in Gaza holding up a poster decrying "Brothers in Harm" (referring to the Brothers and Sisters in Arms protesters) appear to be suffering from excess leisure time. Last week, the IDF came under fire from an unexpected source. Donald Trump told the daily Israel Hayom that the video clips filmed by soldiers in Gaza are harming Israel.
On Thursday, a veteran officer in the reserves was reminded of a scene in "Apocalypse Now." The patrol boat carrying Capt. Willard, played by Martin Sheen, comes upon a small boat of Vietnamese civilians ferrying vegetables. The on-edge soldiers shoot all the passengers to death.’

(…)

‘Since the first week of the war we've been witnessing a worrying interaction: an army in shock and gripped by guilt over the massacre, and a leader fleeing bad news and ready to employ every trick to stay in power another day.’

Read the article here.

Netanyahu as the surviving figure of a rather disastrous was.
And the comparison with ‘Apocalypse Now’ is telling. The difference is that the US had a homeland after Vietnam. (Well, there is Europe…)

October 7 could have happened because of widespread hubris in Israeli society, this has been noticed over and over, enough articles have been written about it.
Apparently, it’s difficult to deal with the aftermath of hubris.
Many Israelis are critical about Netanyahu, to say the least, but not about the war effort itself, which still is supported by a large majority in Israel.

More Palestinians in Gaza are fed-up with Hamas than there are Israelis who have enough of this never-ending war.

Fair enough, life in Khan Younis is more unbearable than life in Haifa.

Still, the masochistic excitement with which Israel has turned itself into a fulltime pariah remains puzzling.