Israel has just a few weeks left to destroy Hamas

IT HAS BEENIDF nine weeks since Israel began bombarding the Gaza Strip and six since it sent in ground forces. Some 18,000 Gazans, mostly civilians, have died. But Israel has so far failed to achieve its main objective of destroying the military capabilities of Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza and, in a terrorist attack on October 7th, murdered 1,200 Israelis and took 240 people hostage. It increasingly looks as though the Israel Defence Forces () have just weeks to finish the job before America, Israel’s vital ally, withdraws support for the offensive. Success looks unlikely.