NYT: As Gazans Scrounge for Food and Water, Hamas Sits on a Rich Trove of Supplies

[Beastly Boy]

21. I wouldn't dream of appealing to Hamas' common sense. I am trying to appeal to the common sense of

the people who are not known to be religious fanatics, and in the process I am getting used to being profoundly disappointed.

There is, however, as you pointed out, self-interest in their actions and it doesn't include total annihilation. How much their self-interest coincides with the interests of the Hamas handlers, is the big question. While their charter quite literally calls for Gotterdamerung, it is only intended for Israel, and this goal is unattainable for the foreseeable future.

It seems more likely to me that the unrest in, not the total destruction of the largely Sunni Gaza is the strategic goal, created and directed by the Shiite Iran. The conflict between Israel and Hamas is primarily designed to further destabilize the entire region: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as violent expressions of outrage, real or manufactured, affect the stability of these Sunni states. Hamas itself is far removed from considering such lofty regional ambitions or its consequences. This only plays into the hands of the Shiite Iran, as it did in Syria and Iraq. Hamas is the tool, not the craftsman wielding it, and I am guessing that the consequences of their attack on Israel are very much an afterthought for them. It is likely that Hamas didn't have any strategic goals going into this war, and Israel's response to their aggression was a surprise to them.