Article published in The Daily Telegraph, 11 December 2023. © Richard Kemp

You may not realise it from social media and much mainstream media, but Israel is winning decisively in Gaza, with Hamas consistently outgunned and outfought. The butchers of 7th October are beginning to lay down their weapons and surrender in droves or just run away.

While still clearing the enemy out of parts of Gaza City, since the ceasefire ended the IDF’s main effort has switched south into Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second largest town and Hamas’s major stronghold. In a stunning operation last week, IDF ground forces rapidly broke through Hamas defences there, encircled the city, drove a wedge between two major fighting formations and are now launching targeted raids into the heart of the terrorist infrastructure.

The tunnels are being cleared out by specially trained soldiers and dogs, along with robots, and destroyed using explosives and imaginative techniques, potentially including sea water and sponge bombs. Meanwhile the air force, as well as directly supporting ground troops with attack drones, helicopters and combat planes, has been striking at Hamas leaders, intelligence operatives and munitions. The last few days have seen some of the heaviest fighting so far.

The consequences have been devastating for the terrorists. Many have been killed, including battalion commanders who cannot be replaced. In my experience even some of the most hardcore jihadists are only too willing to spill the beans after being taken captive and therefore the growing number of prisoners will give up critical intelligence on operational plans and the whereabouts of senior Hamas leaders.

On top of this military ruination there is a growing resentment within Gaza. Ordinary people know their lives have been devastated and loved ones killed and maimed as a result of Hamas’s actions. Sensing the terrorists’ weakening stranglehold, more and more civilians are speaking out against the oppressive regime in a way that has never before been possible, including, it appears, to TV cameras.

All this signals the beginning of the end for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The fight is not yet over but Israel’s objectives are being met with greater speed and effectiveness than many expected. Wisely, the Israelis took little heed of American and British military experts that urged restraint, advising the IDF not to invade with armoured divisions but instead rely on special forces raids as they themselves had done in Iraq and Afghanistan. That didn’t work there and it wouldn’t have worked in Gaza.

Netanyahu was also right about his strategy for preventing a regional war: go strong and Iran’s proxy terrorist groups will waver. Now Hizballah and its masters in Tehran are clearly shaken as they watch their allies in Gaza being eviscerated. Thus Israel has now seized the initiative for unavoidable military action against the enormous threat from Lebanon.

With all this plain to see, why is there a narrative in the West, given credence by some mainstream politicians, that Israel is somehow failing? The pernicious impact of TikTok activism as well as prejudice among Gen-Z, and many of their elders that never grew up, have been throwing fuel onto a decades-long propaganda campaign against Israel.

Under that agenda, Israel brings on itself whatever is done to it, including the horrors of 7th October, and itself can only do wrong. Those who have been taken in by this propaganda greedily swallow Hamas lies about genocide, indiscriminate IDF killing of civilians and even reject or ignore evidence of mass crimes on 7th October.

Refusing to countenance anything outside their social media echo chambers, they don’t want Israel to prevail against one of the greatest evils the world has ever seen and so they won’t accept that it can possibly do so.