Hey folks, Chuck Holton hereācoming to you one last time from this balcony in Jerusalem before I head to Tel Aviv and then on to the next frontlines. But before I leave, I want to break down some of the most critical developments from the past week in Gaza and beyond. And believe me, there's a lot to unpack.
Three Roads for Israel
Letās talk strategy. An analysis in Israel Hayom outlines three main options Israel faces in Gaza:
Conquer Gaza: Full military occupation, boots on the ground, control every inch. But that comes at a high costāthousands of IDF troops deployed indefinitely.
Besiege Gaza: Maintain pressure without full occupation. This could include arming anti-Hamas factionsālike Abu Salaiās clan in Rafahāand continuing selective strikes.
Status Quo: Keep doing what theyāre doingālimited incursions, hostage negotiations, and intelligence gathering. But this risks being perceived as weak and prolonging the conflict indefinitely.
As I said on Newsmax, the idea of a ceasefire right now is fantasy. Hamas still believes itās winningāhappy to let their people starve if they can pin the blame on Israel. President Trump nailed it:
āYouāre gonna have to fight. Youāre gonna have to clean it up. Youāre gonna have to get rid of them.ā