Last week, the IDF released photos of its soldiers holding up an Israeli flag in what used to be the Gaza parliament building. Later, the building was destroyed. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports have been circulating over the weekend of a possible deal to release some hostages in exchange for a five-day ceasefire. Meir Ben-Shabbat assesses these developments:

It is crucial that Hamas’s governing facilities not only be seized but also completely destroyed after being cleared. This is the way to disabuse Hamas of its hope that Gaza will return to the days before October 7. This must be done not only through military activity. Israel must destroy the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings, so as to make it clear there will never be a return to the situation in which Palestinians can enter Israel. . . .

The immediate goal of Hamas is to have Israel stop fighting while creating a channel that allows the terrorist organization to maximize its gains from the hostages it holds. Hamas is pinning its hopes on Qatari mediation efforts, internal pressure in Israel on this issue, and international pressure on Israel regarding humanitarian issues. As expected, with the assistance of Qatar—whose main interest is to ensure Hamas’s survival—Hamas has put out the bait and started waving with their assets to achieve their goals.

Accordingly, if Israel wants to get more opportunities to secure the hostages while lowering the price of a deal and increasing its likelihood, it is crucial to continue with the military campaign while ratcheting up pressure on Qatar. . . . It is time to change the policy towards Qatar by demanding that the United States act against it not only with “carrots” but also with “sticks,” [by threatening] to reconsider its relationship with the sheikhdom.

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.