Palestinian analyst: Hamas had ‘no clear-cut political goal’

Editor’s Note: Peter Bergen is CNN’s national security analyst, a vice president at New America, a professor of practice at Arizona State University and the host of the Audible podcast “In the Room With Peter Bergen,” also on Appleand Spotify. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN.

Khaled Hroub, a Palestinian academic and the author of “Hamas: A Beginner’s Guide,” says he believes that Hamas did not expect that the October 7 attack on Israel would be the scale that it became, and the group didn’t have a plan for what came afterward. Speaking to me on Sunday, Hroub also said that Israel’s expected ground invasion of Gaza doesn’t seem to incorporate any planning for the “day after” the war is over.

Hroub was born in Bethlehem in the West Bank in a refugee camp, and his family moved to Jordan and then to the UK, where he completed his doctorate at the University of Cambridge. He is a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Northwestern University’s campus in Doha, Qatar.

Hroub told me he believes that Hezbollah in Lebanon on Israel’s northern border will not get involved in the war in a large-scale way unless the Gaza conflict drags on for many weeks. If it does, he said, the pressure on Hezbollah to fight Israel will increase.

Our interview was edited for length and clarity.

Peter Bergen: What do you think about the scale and timing of the Hamas attack in Israel?

Khaled Hroub: My analysis is Hamas did not plan this attack to be as large as it was. I think they planned something limited; they wanted to do something short, swift and effective.

They had been planning for this for a long time, but once they penetrated Israel, they were surprised by the ease of the operation. The operation spread in different directions without prior planning.

Once the operation became larger than planned, it appeared that there was no clear second phase to this Hamas operation. There was no clear-cut political goal or demand behind it. So, it looked like an ad hoc expansion of what had started to be the kidnapping of some Israeli soldiers and then swapping them for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. They were surprised by their own success.

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The bodies of Palestinians killed during the war are buried in a mass grave on January 30, in Rafah, Gaza.

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Palestinians look at their neighbor's damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza, on January 27.

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An Israeli tank takes position at the western entrance of the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza as Palestinians flee to safer areas further south on January 26.

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Israeli soldiers hold Major Ilay Levy's coffin during his funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 23. Levy was one of 24 Israeli soldiers killed on the deadliest day for Israeli forces in Gaza combat.

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Displaced Palestinians using eSIM cards attempt to get a signal on January 19, on a hill in Rafah, on the southern Gaza border with Egypt.

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An Israeli tank patrols near the border with Gaza on January 19.

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The father of Masa Shoman carries the body of his daughter, killed during Israeli bombardment, at her funeral in Rafah, Gaza, on January 17.

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Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza hold signs and photos of their loved ones at a protest calling for their return, outside a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on January 9.

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Soldiers exit a tunnel that Hamas reportedly used during the October 7 attack on Israel, in northern Gaza, on January 7.

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A girl mourns the death of her relatives who were killed by Israeli bombardment, at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 31.

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The wife of IDF soldier Sergeant Elisha Yehonatan Lober, who was killed in southern Gaza, holds their baby during his funeral at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on December 27.

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A bulldozer unloads the bodies of Palestinians killed in fighting with Israel and turned over by the Israeli military during a mass funeral in Rafah, Gaza, on December 26.

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Mourners collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 24.

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Palestinians carry a casualty near the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza, on December 22.

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Mourners at the grave of Lt. Yaacov Elian mourn during his funeral at Kiryat Shaul cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 22.

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Palestinians converge for a free meal in Rafah, Gaza, on December 21.

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Family and friends react during the funeral for IDF Staff Sgt. Boris Dunavetski in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 20.

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A wounded man bids farewell to the body of his son following overnight Israeli bombardments at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on December 19.

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A man sits with children by a fire outside one of the tents housing displaced Palestinians, in Rafah, Gaza, on December 18.

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Relatives and friends of Alon Lulu Shamriz, one of the 3 Israeli hostages who were mistakenly killed by friendly fire, mourn during his funeral in Shefayim, Israel, on December 17.

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Relatives and friends bid farewell to the body of Al Jazeera camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 16. Abu Daqqa died of wounds sustained in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis, the network said on Friday.

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Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, on December 15.

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Palestinians gather around the destroyed Shehada family home following Israeli bombardment of Rafah, Gaza, on December 14.

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Mother and father of Israeli military commander Major Ben Shelly, who was killed in northern Gaza, embrace each other at his funeral in Kidron, Israel, on December 14.

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A Palestinian woman reacts as she walks past makeshift tents during a rainy day at a UN relief agency logistics base in Rafah, Gaza, on December 13.

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Israeli soldiers listen to their commander as they prepare to enter the Gaza Strip, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, on December 13.

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Palestinians carry an injured woman following an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza, on December 12.

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A soldier reacts during a funeral for IDF Reservist Maj. Eviatar Cohen in Kfar Saba, Israel, on December 12.

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Israeli soldiers take positions in southern Israel near the Gaza border, on December 11.

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Palestinians crowd around a truck that's distributing bottles of water in Rafah, Gaza, on December 11.

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An Israeli howitzer fires into Gaza from a position near Nahal Oz, Israel, on December 10.

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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza outside a morgue in Khan Younis on December 10.

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Palestinian firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a house after an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 9.

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Israeli soldiers patrol a border area with Gaza near Nahal Oz, Israel, on December 9.

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Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Master Sgt. Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, who was killed in fighting in Gaza, at the military cemetery in Herzliya, Israel, on December 8. The death of Eisenkot, the son of Israeli government minister Gadi Eisenkot, has resonated across the country and drawn condolences from Israel's top leaders.

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Palestinians carry a dead girl, found under the rubble of a destroyed building following Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in Gaza, on December 7.

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Relatives and friends of hostages held in Gaza by the Hamas militant group light torches and march as they call for their release during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in the Hostages Square at the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 7.

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People search for victims amid the rubble of a smoldering building, following an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 6.

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A close-up view of spent bullet casings on the ground near the Gaza border, in southern Israel, on December 6.

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Security guards and a member of Israeli security forces pass a display of toppled toilets during a press tour of the 06:29 memorial recreating the site of the Nova music festival massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 6.

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People walk past a building damaged in a rocket attack in Ashkelon, Israel, on December 5.

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A child sleeps in a makeshift shelter in a new camp sheltering displaced Palestinians who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 5.

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A Palestinian girl holds empty bottles as she queues to collect water in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 5.

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An Israeli artillery unit fires near the border with Gaza on December 5.

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A Palestinian boy carrying a baby stands at a site of Israeli strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza, on December 4.

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An Israeli military helicopter releases flares over the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, on December 4.

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Israeli soldiers sit in a military vehicle near Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel, on December 4.

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Palestinians inspect a house destroyed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on December 4.

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Israeli military tanks roll near the border with the Gaza on December 3.

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Family and friends of Staff Sergeant Aschalwu Sama mourn over his grave during his funeral in Petah Tikva, Israel, on December 3.

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Palestinians carry belongings as they flee their homes on December 2, in Khan Younis, Gaza.

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Palestinians hold empty containers to receive food in Rafah, Gaza, on December 2.

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The Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a rocket fired from Gaza over Ashkelon, Israel, on December 1.

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Smoke rises from buildings in Gaza after being hit by Israeli strikes as attacks resume between Israel and Hamas militants, on December 1.

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Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi, walks with her mother after she was released from prison by Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on early November 30.

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Viktor and Helena Brodski mourn during a memorial service for their son, Sgt. Kiril Brodski at the Kiryat Shaul military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 29.

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People walk through the debris of a mosque, as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 29.

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Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters stand guard as Red Cross vehicles transport released hostages towards the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in southern Gaza, on November 28.

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A Palestinian prisoner reacts after being released during the truce amid between Hamas and Israel, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on November 28.

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Protesters release balloons as they call for the release of the Bibas family, whose members are being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 28.

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An Israeli helicopter transporting hostages released by Hamas prepares to land at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel on November 28.

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A displaced Palestinian man sits by tents sheltering people near the border between Israel and southern Gaza, in Khan Younis on November 27.

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People welcome a convoy carrying newly released hostages in Ofakim, Israel, on Sunday, November 26.

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Young boys look at aid trucks entering Gaza on November 26.

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Israa Jaabis, left, a Palestinian prisoner released by Israel, is hugged as she arrives home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber early November 26.

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A Red Cross vehicle carrying Israeli hostages enters the Rafah border crossing late Saturday, November 25.

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People await news of hostages expected to be released by Hamas in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 25.

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Palestinians queue in front of a gas station in Khan, Younis, Gaza, to fill their kitchen cylinders after the arrival of trucks carrying aid on November 25.

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A Palestinian woman sits on debris in her damaged apartment in the Khezaa district on the outskirts of the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis on November 25.

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Members of the Asher family embrace each at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel on Friday, November 24. Sisters Aviv and Raz and their mother, Doron, were released on the first day of the truce between Israel and Hamas.

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A helicopter carrying hostages released by Hamas lands at Schneider Children's Medical Center in Petah Tikva, Israel, on November 24.

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People in Tel Aviv, Israel, react as they hear the news of the release of 13 Israeli hostages held by Hamas on November 24.

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Fireworks streak across the sky as Palestinian prisoners who were released from the Israeli Ofer military facility are paraded in Beitunia, in the occupied West Bank, on November 24.

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International Red Cross vehicles transport freed hostages through the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 24. Twenty-four people held hostage for nearly seven weeks in the Gaza Strip were released Friday as part of a truce brokered between Israel and Hamas, according to officials. The group included 10 Thai citizens, 13 Israelis and one Philippine citizen, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.

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Palestinians walk through destruction in Gaza City on November 24 as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas took effect.

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A Palestinian medic and civilians carry an injured man after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza, on Thursday, November 23.

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Artillery shells are lined up at a position in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, bordering southern Lebanon on Wednesday, November 22.

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Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank in Gaza on November 22.

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Soldiers react during the funeral of Captain Liron Snir, 25, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, on November 22.

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Smoke billows after an Israeli strike as flares are dropped over northern Gaza on November 22.

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Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home, during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, November 21.

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Internally displaced Palestinians who fled northern Gaza sit in a makeshift shelter at a school in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on November 21.

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Injured Palestinians, including children, are taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for treatment after Israeli attacks hit the school at Al Bureij Refugee Camp in Deir Al Balah, Gaza, on Monday, November 20.

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People hold portraits of children held hostage by Hamas as protesters rally outside the Unicef offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 20.

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A Palestinian woman cries in anguish following Israeli strikes on Rafah, Gaza, on November 20.

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Israeli soldiers work on armored military vehicles along Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, on November 20.

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Palestinians clutching empty containers wait for food relief in Rafah, Gaza, on Sunday, November 19.

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Israeli soldiers carry the casket of Major Jamal Abbas, an Israeli soldier from Israel's Druze minority who was killed in Gaza amid Israel's ongoing ground operation, at his funeral in Pekiin, Israel, on November 19.

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A UN-provided tent camp for Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 19.

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Foreign journalists get off a bus and take cover on the side of a road in Mavki'im, Israel, after a siren warns of a rocket fired from Gaza on November 19.

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Premature newborns receive treatment after being transferred from Al-Shifa hospital to Al-Emarati hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.

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Palestinians look at destruction after an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, November 18.

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Tens of thousands of people led by the families of Hamas' hostages walk along Route 1 to enter Jerusalem on the fifth and final day of the March for the Hostages on November 18.

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Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli strike on Rafah, Gaza, on Friday, November 17.

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Israeli military members react during the funeral of Israeli soldier Avraham Fetena in Haifa, Israel, on November 17.

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Damaged buildings in Gaza seen from Sderot, Israel, on Thursday, November 16.

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Families of hostages march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on November 16, in Beit Hashmonai, Israel.

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A Palestinian child looks through a broken window of a destroyed building, in Rafah, Gaza, on Wednesday, November 15.

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An Israeli army armored fighting vehicle returns to a staging area from the border with Gaza on November 15, in southern Israel.

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People mourn as they stand behind a metal fence before the burial of victims killed in an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday, November 14.

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Israeli soldiers form an honor guard at the funeral of Israeli reserve soldier Master Sgt. Raz Abulafia in Rishpon, Israel, on November 14.

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Journalists report from a vantage point overlooking northern Gaza in Sderot, Israel, on Monday, November 13.

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Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza, on November 13.

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Men walk along the border of Gaza in southern Israel on November 13.

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A Palestinian child cries next to his mother after they were rushed to Nasser hospital, following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 13.

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Family and friends attends the funeral of Israeli soldier Matan Meir on November 13 in Odem, Israel.

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An Israeli soldier fires his weapon in Gaza on November 13.

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Newborns are placed in a bed after being taken off incubators in Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital after power outage in Gaza City on Sunday, November 12.

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Palestinians search for bodies and survivors among the rubble of a residential building following an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 12.

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Mourners attend the funeral of Sgt. Roni Eshel in Kfar Saba, Israel, on November 12. Eshel was killed during Hamas' attack on October 7.

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This picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip early on November 12, shows flares being fired by Israeli troops over the Gaza Strip.

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On day 35 of hostages being detained by Hamas, a woman holds the image of a hostage while sitting amongst thousands of people and families of kidnapped people taking part in a protest to demand that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secures the release of Israeli hostages, on Saturday, November 11, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Images of people's eyes adorn chairs, one for each of the 240 Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, which are placed outside The Museum of Modern Art known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square' on November 11, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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Israeli soldiers and military vehicles take a position inside Gaza in this Israel Defense Forces (IDF) handout picture obtained by Reuters, on November 11.

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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in Israeli bombardment at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 11.

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Cemetery attendant Sadi Berek, 63, works to maintain graves of children who were killed in the aftermath of Israeli attacks in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on Friday, November 10.

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Palestinians flee to southern Gaza on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij, Gaza, on November 10.

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An Israeli tank rolls near Sderot, Israel, along the border with Gaza, on November 10.

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Varda Goldstein enters her house for the first time after it was burned in the October 7 Hamas attack in Kfar Aza, Israel, on November 10.

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A fireball erupts during Israeli bombardment of Gaza, as seen from Israel, on Thursday, November 9.

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On November 9, an IDF soldier from the Israeli Military Rabbinate looks for items that may help identify people killed at Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, in the October 7 attacks.

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A Palestinian nurse at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza mourns after receiving news that his brother has died.

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People look at an installation called "Empty Beds" on November 9 in Tel Aviv, where beds represent around 240 hostages seized in the attack by Hamas gunmen.

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A Palestinian woman inspects the bodies of victims outside Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital who were killed in Israeli bombardment, on November 8.

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Palestinians inspect debris at the Khaled Ibn Al-Walid mosque after it was hit by an Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, on November 8.

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Family and friends attend the funeral of fallen Israeli soldier, Ya'akov Ozeri, in Meron, Israel on November 8.

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An Israeli soldier in northern Gaza on November 8.

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A woman carries a white flag as Palestinians flee from Gaza City to the south on November 7.

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In Tel Aviv on November 7, people hold photos of people who were kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza.

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A Palestinian child receives treatment at Nasser Medical Hospital after a strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 7.

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A woman in Tel Aviv writes on a photo of people kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

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People hold Israeli flags in Jerusalem on November 7, one month after Hamas's attacks in Israel.

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People mourn as they wait for the bodies of members of a family killed in a strike to be removed from Rafah's al-Najjar Hospital for burial on November 7.

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A Palestinian man reacts as others check the rubble of a building in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 6.

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Photographs of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas militants are projected onto the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on November 6.

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A Palestinian family sits near destroyed houses following a strike in Rafah, southern Gaza, on November 6.

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A soldier takes cover as an artillery unit fires from an undisclosed location near the Israel-Gaza border on November 6.

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A woman looks for names on a memorial wall in Jerusalem's Old City on November 6 that lists the 1,400 people killed in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel.

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At the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital on November 6, a man walks between the shrouded bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment in Deir Balah, central Gaza.

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A family member reacts as Palestinian cameraman Mohammed Alaloul (bottom) covers the body of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza on Sunday, November 5.

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Soldiers are seen walking at a location given as Gaza, in this screengrab obtained from an Israel Defence Forces handout video released on November 5.

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Palestinians look for survivors following an Israeli bombardment in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp, Gaza, on November 5.

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Soldiers from the IDF's coed infantry battalion 'Bardelas' guard an Israeli community in Southern Israel on November 5.

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Teams put out a fire that broke out among the rubble of a destroyed building during search and rescue operations after an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, November 4.

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Protesters call for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during a demonstration near HaKirya base in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 4.

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Rockets are launched from Gaza into Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, in southern Israel, on November 4.

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United Nations workers in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza prepare aid for distribution to Palestinians, who have fled their homes and are sheltering in a UN-run school, on November 4.

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Blood is splattered on the side of an ambulance after an Israeli airstrike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday, November 3.

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A relative bids farewell during the funerals of Palestine TV journalist Mohammad Abu Hattab and his eleven family members the day after they were killed in Khan Younis, Gaza on November 3.

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Palestinians search for survivors following an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, Gaza on November 3.

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Neta Heiman, a peace activist, holds a photograph of her mother, Ditza Heiman, who is being held hostage by Hamas, in Haifa, Israel on Thursday, November 2.

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Mourners gather around the coffin of Druze Israeli Lieutenant colonel Salman Habaka in the village of Yanuh Jat, northern Israel, on November 3

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Children wait for the return of Palestinian workers from Israel at the Rafah border in southern Gaza, on November 3.

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Family and friends grieve for Capt. (Res.) Yuval Zilber at the Netaim Cemetery in Netaim, Israel, on November 3.

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Pictures of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas are displayed with balloons as part of an installation in Jerusalem on November 2.

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Palestinians take humanitarian aid from a truck near the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on November 2.

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An Israeli artillery unit fires during a military drill in Golan Heights, Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 2.

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Palestinians with dual citizenship show their passports while seeking permission to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, on November 1.

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A man sits on debris as Palestinians conduct a search and rescue operation after the second bombardment to the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza City, on Wednesday, November 1.

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An Israeli Apache helicopter fires flares over Gaza, seen from Sderot, Israel, on November 1.

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Palestinian families take shelter in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency refugee camp in Khan Younis, Gaza, on November 1.

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Relatives react during the funeral of an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem, on November 1.

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Palestinians move through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, on November 1. Injured Palestinians and foreign nationals from Gaza have started crossing the border into Egypt, officials and Egyptian media said, in the first sanctioned exodus from the besieged enclave in weeks.

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Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza on October 31.

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Friends and family mourn Yosef Vahav, 65, who was killed following Hamas' infiltration from Gaza, at his funeral in Beit Guvrin, Israel on Tuesday, October 31.

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Israeli army vehicles move along a road near the northern town of Kiryat Shmona close to the border with Lebanon on October 31.

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Relatives mourn as bodies are carried for burial from Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on October 31.

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Relatives attend the funeral of Albert Miles, 81, at the Kibbutz Revivim cemetery, south Israel, on October 30. Albert Miles was killed during the Hamas attack on October 7, in Kibbutz Be'eri near the border with Gaza.

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A Palestinian man holds his wounded child as they receive medical attention at Al-Najjar Hospital following an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in southern Gaza on October 30.

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Vehicles destroyed by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel are seen collected in a field near the Israel's border with Gaza on October 30.

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A photo released by the IDF shows its forces continue to expand ground operations in Gaza on October 30.

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Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli airstrikes in Rafah on October 30.

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A man holds wounded children near livestock animals amid heavily damaged buildings, following Israeli attacks at Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza City, on Sunday, October 29.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Manna mourns her daughter Tamar Chaya Torpiashvili, a 9-year-old girl who died days after experiencing a cardiac attack during a siren warning of incoming rockets being fired from Gaza into Israel, at her funeral in Ashdod, southern Israel, on October 29.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

An injured man is covered in dust in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah, southern Gaza, on October 29.

Abed Khaled/AP

Smoke and explosions are seen on the horizon in northern Gaza, amid Israel's bombardment of the enclave, on Saturday, October 28.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Israeli armored vehicles on the move near the border with Gaza, in Sderot, Israel on the morning of October 28.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinian children sit in a vehicle loaded with household items in Khan Younis refugee camp, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on October 28.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

People check the destruction following Israeli strikes on Al-Shatee camp in Gaza City on October 28.

Ammar Awad/Getty Images

A man writes a message during a demonstration by family members and supporters of hostages who are being held in Gaza after they were kidnapped from Israel by Hamas gunmen, as they call for a dialogue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 28.

Anas al-Shareef/Reuters

Palestinian lawyer Jehad Al-Kafarnah, whose pregnant wife and unborn child were killed in an Israeli strike, according to health officials, mourns over her shrouded body at a hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, October 27.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Teddy bears with their eyes covered and showing signs of injury are displayed to highlight the young children and babies currently missing, believed to be being held hostage by Hamas, on October 27 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Dima Vazinovich/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli firefighters and rescue teams assess destruction after a rocket attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 27.

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

A Palestinian man injured in an Israeli airstrike is carried on a stretcher at Nasser Medical Hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 27.

Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli air force F-15 tactical fighter jet flies along the border with Gaza near Sderot, Israel, on October 27.

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

People take cover as rocket sirens sound during the funeral of Sagiv Ben Zvi in Holon, Israel, on Thursday, October 26.

Omar El-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images

Smoke and fire rise from a leveled building after an Israeli strike on Gaza on October 26.

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

A woman looks from behind a gate at the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 26.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

Relatives of hostages held in Gaza demonstrate in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 26.

Yasser Qudih/Reuters

A Palestinian child is assisted as people search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 25.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards Gaza on October 25.

Francisco Seco/AP

A woman with a photograph of a child who was abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel hands out yellow ribbons to passing drivers in central Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 25.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians mourn their loved ones killed in an Israeli strike, outside Najjar hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on October 24.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Yocheved Lifshitz speaks to the media after she was released by Hamas, outside Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 24.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Al Shifa hospital is lit up in Gaza City on October 24.

Ali Mohmoud/AP

Rescuers assist a survivor of an Israeli bombardment in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on Tuesday, October 24.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians look for survivors in the rubble after Israeli strikes in Rafah in southern Gaza on October 23.

Mai Yaghi/AFP/Getty Images

A baby receives care inside an incubator at a hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on Monday, October 23.

Ariel Schalit/AP

Mourners hold hands during the funeral of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, on October 23.

Ariel Schalit/AP

Israeli soldiers cry during the funeral of Sgt. Yam Goldstein and her father, Nadav, in Kibbutz Shefayim, Israel, on October 23.

Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli soldier stands in an armored vehicle near the Lebanon border on October 23.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Khaled Joudeh mourns his young sister, Misq, at the morgue at Deir Al-Balah hospital in Gaza on October 22.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Pictures of over 1,000 people abducted, missing or killed in the Hamas attack are displayed on empty seats in the Smolarz Auditorium at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 22.

Hatem Moussa/AP

Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on October 22.

Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu/Getty Images

Relatives mourn for a man killed by Hamas during his funeral in Nir Oz, Israel, on October 22.

Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux

Injured civilians are recovered from the rubble of a destroyed house following Israeli air strikes near a UNRWA school housing displaced people in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Saturday, October 21.

Francisco Seco/AP

A photo hangs on a refrigerator dotted with bullet holes in a home in Kibbutz Kissufim, Israel, on October 21.

Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters

An aerial view of residential buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in Zahra City, Gaza, on October 21.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images.

Relatives mourn for a family killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 21.

Belal al Sabbagh/AFP/Getty Images

Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza from Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on October 21.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images

Relatives of hostages speak to the media during the "Lighting up the Light" campaign for the return of those held captive, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 21.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Palestinians inspect a destroyed area following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on October 21.

Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua/Redux

Children use candles for lighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday, October 20.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Muslim Palestinians take part in Friday noon prayers as Israeli police look on in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud, on October 20.

Janis Laizans/Reuters

Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

Civil defense teams and residents continue search and rescue efforts at a Greek Orthodox church after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 20.

Abed Khaled/AP

A Palestinian woman mourns over the bodies of her relatives who were killed an Israeli airstrike that hit a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City on October 20.

Mohammed Dahman/AP

Rockets are fired from Gaza toward Israel on Thursday, October 19.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meets soldiers in a field near Israel's border with Gaza on October 19. Gallant told the soldiers, "You see Gaza now from a distance, you will soon see it from inside."

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Friends and relatives of Ofir Libstein, who served as head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council and died during the Kibbutz Kfar Aza attack, mourn at his funeral in Even Yehuda, Israel, on Wednesday, October 18.

Belal Khaled/Anadolu/Getty Images

A woman mourns over a dead man at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza City on October 18.

Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

A Palestinian man inspects a destroyed house belonging to the Al-Jazzar family after an airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 18.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas are seen in Tel Aviv on October 18.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

People mourn a family during a funeral in Hod HaSharon, Israel, on October 18.

Ayal Margolin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Israeli security inspects debris from a rocket in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, on October 18.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

From left, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US President Joe Biden join Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials as they wait for the start of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on October 18.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/Getty Images

A view shows the aftermath of a deadly blast that struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on October 18. Palestinian officials blamed ongoing Israeli airstrikes for the incident, while a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said a Palestinian Islamic Jihad group is responsible for a "failed rocket launch" that hit the hospital.

Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Redux

President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.

Abed Khaled/AP

Wounded Palestinians sit on the floor at the Al-Shifa Hospital after being transported from the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital following a blast there on Tuesday, October 17.

Abed Khaled/AP

Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.

Ariel Schalit/AP

Israeli security forces inspect a damaged residential building after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza in Sderot, Israel on October 17.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

A bakery prepares rations of bread to pass out to displaced Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza, on October 17.

Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP

People lay wreaths during a funeral for the Israeli Kutz family in Gan-Yavne, Israel on October 17. The family of five were murdered in their home by Palestinian militants who infiltrated the Israeli Kibbutz of Kfar Aza last week.

Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu/Getty Images

Civil defense members and residents conduct search and rescue operations amid destroyed buildings after an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Tuesday, October 17,

Mahmoud Khaled/Getty Images

Aid supplies are seen in North Sinai, Egypt on October 16.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Street vendors work on a darkened street without power in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 16.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on October 16.

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

People hold Israeli flags as friends and family mourn Dor Reder at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, on October 16.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16.

Shir Torem/Reuters

People prepare to board a ship that will transport US nationals and their immediate family members from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus on October 16.

Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters

The remains of a Palestinian house destroyed in Israeli strikes in central Gaza on October 15.

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli army soldiers patrol at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

People carry children as they flee following an Israeli strike on Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday, October 15.

Francisco Seco/AP

Antonio Macías' mother cries over her son's body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15. Macías was killed by Hamas at an Israeli music festival earlier this month.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians collect water from a tap on October 15 after Israel blocked supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza.

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli army Puma armored personnel carriers move in a column near the Gaza border in southern Israel on October 14.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

People react at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Saturday, October 14.

Francisco Seco/AP

Eli Albag cries over the photograph of his daughter Liri, as he gathers with others during a protest demanding the release of more than 100 Israelis who were abducted during last week's Hamas attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 14.

Mohammed Talatene/dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images

Leaflets dropped from Israeli army planes fall over Gaza City on Friday, October 13.

Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux

An Israeli soldier looks inside a house that was overrun by Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel, on October 13.

Hatem Ali/AP

Palestinians rescue a wounded man from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 13.

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.

Dor Kedmi/AP

Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13.

Abed Zagout/Anadolu/Getty Images

On October 13, doctors at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, examine children injured in Israeli attacks.

Saher Alghorra/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

A Palestinian child is injured during bombing in Gaza on October 13.

Hatem Moussa/AP

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13.

Francisco Seco/AP

Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Abraham Cohen at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, October 12.

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Family members of Valentin Ghnassia react during his funeral ceremony at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 12. Ghnassia was killed in a battle with Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel.

Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli soldier patrols near the Nova music festival grounds near Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12.

Yousef Masoud/The New York Times

Palestinians seek shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza, after a house next door was hit by an Israeli airstrike on October 12.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12.

Ibrahim Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.

Bashar Taleb/AFP/Getty Images

A Palestinian woman covered in dust and dirt carries a child in Gaza City on October 12.

Baz Ratner/AP

An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, October 11.

Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11.

Abed Rahim Khatib/Picture-Alliance/Getty Images

People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Yahya Hassouna/AFP/Getty Images

An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11.

Francisco Seco/AP

Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.

Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Palestinians run from Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.

Baz Ratner/AP

Bullet holes are seen in a cracked window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, on October 11. The self-sustaining farming community near Gaza was one of the first places targeted by Hamas militants on October 7.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Itzik and Miriam Shafir, center, mourn during their son's funeral at a cemetery in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on October 11. Their son, Dor Shafir, and his girlfriend, Savion Kiper, were killed during Hamas' attack on a music festival on Saturday.

Yousef Masoud/The New York Times/Redux

A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.

Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday, October 10.

Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times/Redux

Israeli soldiers carry a body on October 10 in Kfar Aza, a village in Israel just across the border from Gaza. Hamas militants carried out a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their attacks over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10.

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

People mourn at the grave of Eden Guez during her funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 10. She was killed as she attended a music festival that was attacked by terrorists from Gaza. Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies at the Nova Festival.

Atef Safadi/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.

Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10.

Fatima Shbair/AP

People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.

Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10.

Belal Khaled/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Though the child had survived the initial strike, she died later while being treated for her injuries.

Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.

Oren Ziv/AP

Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9.

Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9.

Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.

Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/picture-alliance/AP

Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9.

Ramez Mahmoud/AP

Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.

Erik Marmor/AP

Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8.

Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.

Oded Balilty/AP

Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.

Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on October 8.

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8.

Ahmad Hasballah/Getty Images

Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7.

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux

From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7.

Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa/Reuters

Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Baz Ratner/AP

An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7.

Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7.

Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters

Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7.

Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Israelis donate blood in Jerusalem on October 7.

Samar Abu Elouf/The New York Times/Redux

Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7.

Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images

Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP licensed

An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7.

Amir Cohen/Reuters

A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7.

Itai Ron/Reuters

A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza.

Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7.

Hadas Parush/Reuters

People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7.

Fatima Shbair/AP

Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7.

Bergen: So, who’s in charge of Hamas’ operations? Is it Mohammed Deif, an elusive Hamas military commander?

Hroub: It is hard to tell because the media focuses on Mohammed Deif, but Hamas has a collective leadership at the end of the day.

Israeli policy seems to target these Hamas leaders, thinking they are solely responsible. So, if we assassinate this guy or that guy, things will be dramatically different. Over the years, this theory has been proven wrong. So, the more the Israelis assassinate Hamas leaders, the more a new generation comes in, even younger and maybe even more radical.

Bergen: You said in the past that when Israel undertook previous large-scale military operations in Gaza, it backfired because it strengthened Hamas. Do you think that situation is going to be different this time?

Hroub: I think neither Israel nor Hamas had a very clear plan for what happens down the road. Even if the Israeli military succeeded in destroying Hamas, the question facing everyone is, what’s next?

So instead of having one single address now in Gaza that you can deter — Hamas does have institutions — you will end up with a bunch of splinter groups, certainly more radical than Hamas, and without any method of deterring them. So, this is why I think Israel doesn’t have a clear plan for the second phase of whatever invasion they might do.

Bergen: The 2006 Palestinian elections were won by Hamas. The George W. Bush administration had encouraged that election but was surprised by Hamas’ success. What was the impact of that election? 

Hroub: I think it led to the situation that we are facing at this very moment. Why is this? If you go back to the context, the regional and global atmosphere back then was dominated by the so-called war on terror, led by George Bush. This war was fought in countries and against groups, including Hamas.

The other campaign of George Bush’s administration was the region’s democratization. So, these two efforts were going hand in hand for the Bush administration: One was the democratization of the Middle East, and the other was the campaign against terrorism.

So, Hamas used the Bush democratization campaign to protect itself from the heat of the war on terror, and they won the 2006 elections and came into power in Gaza.

Bergen: Why did Hamas win the elections in 2006?

Hroub: Hamas’ victory in 2006 was not only the appeal of Hamas; it was the failure of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority in delivering their promises of having a Palestinian state.

Israel also did not fulfill its promises to the Palestinians, and there was no hope. Even Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the 1993 Oslo peace accords moving forward the peace process, was assassinated by an Israeli. And since then, you have right-wing politics dominating the Israeli scene. So that was another kind of failure. 

A third party that failed was the US. The US did not care about the perspective of the Palestinians. These multiple failures fed into the popularity of Hamas.

Palestinian voters also hated the corruption of the Palestinian Authority and its failure in bringing about a Palestinian state, and they wanted an alternative: Hamas, which was seen as not corrupt and also adhering to resistance against Israel.

Now the image is different, of course, because Hamas has been in power for 16 years, and people have mixed views about Hamas’ performance.

Bergen: What is the role of religion in Hamas?

Hroub: Very central, the mother organization of Hamas is the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Jerusalem in 1945. During the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and most of the 1980s, they did the business of any other traditional branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, meaning working in charities, mosques, student unions and professional associations.

But they never adopted a resistance strategy against Israel, which meant that during this period, they had a dubious reputation among the Palestinians because they were not resisting Israel.

What changed was the gradual Islamization of Palestinian society, and in 1987, when the first Palestinian uprising happened, they changed their strategy and adopted resistance.

Since then, we have had these two tendencies within Hamas. One is nationalist; the other is religious. In times of crisis and war, the religious component comes to the forefront at the expense of the political and nationalist components.

Bergen: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the Qatari capital, Doha, last week. The Qatari government has a relationship with Hamas and has also had success in brokering deals to get hostages and prisoners released; for instance, five Americans held by Iran were released last month. Do you think there’s some possibility there, or is the war too advanced for that discussion to happen in a meaningful way? 

Hroub: I think it’s still kind of very early to talk seriously about this issue. Hamas will be very stubborn because the only concrete outcome that could come from this confrontation is to free Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. And this doesn’t fit with the mood nowadays dominating Israel. So, I think it’s a bit too early.

Bergen: Do you think Hezbollah stays on the sidelines mostly during the war against Hamas, or that can change?

Hroub: Hezbollah may get involved the longer the war goes on. If it goes on for three, four weeks, things might change.

Bergen: Is peace at all possible here in the longer term? 

Hroub: Since the killing of Rabin, the idea of a two-state solution on the Israeli side has been continuously going down the drain.

Bergen: What happens to those living in Gaza?

Hroub: There are many kinds of local voices calling upon the Palestinians not to leave Gaza, telling them, “If you leave, you will never come back.” The Arab countries are extremely sensitive to taking more Palestinians into their territories, whether in Egypt or Jordan.

Bergen: Do you think this Hamas attack on Israel was an intelligence failure or a policy failure by the Israelis, or both?

Hroub: I think both.

It was a policy failure because you have had Palestinians caged in Gaza since 2007, without any hope, and in that long period of 16 years, you have conditions in the Gaza Strip (going) from bad to worse by the day; they blame, of course, Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but there’s also a fair share of the blame on Hamas, which failed to provide employment and other services.

Youth unemployment in Gaza is 60%, the highest in the world. There is no hope whatsoever. So, Hamas wanted to do something to break this deadlock, even if it was very dramatic. If they freed their prisoners from Israel, they could at least bring in something not only for Gaza but also the Palestinians.