Palestinians willingly leaving Gaza will signal Hamas's defeat - analyst

Zvi Yehezkeli discusses how Gazans are feeling about the ongoing war on Radio Israel and suggested Israel let them leave.

Zvi Yehezkeli (photo credit: REUVEN CASTRO)
Zvi Yehezkeli
(photo credit: REUVEN CASTRO)

The Arab Affairs commentator for Channel 13 news, Zvi Yehezkeli, was interviewed on Tuesday on Radio Israel, and discussed to the feelings within Gazan society regarding the Israel-Hamas War.

"Our Western mind is sure that the Arab mind sees how devastated Gaza is and regrets October 7, but no. They will study and learn about it in the future. In their minds, they distinguish between that day of 'achievement,' as they see it, and the [subsequent] consequences they brought upon themselves," Yehezkeli explained.

"It might be that on a personal level, when an ordinary Gazan sees his home destroyed, he feels sorry. But on a general level, they know they will have a new one built, that food will keep coming, that the Americans and the world will take care of them. A true victory is something related to the land. If the countries of the world come and restore them [to how they were before October 7] - returning them to the same point, indeed. The victory [for us would be] encouraging voluntary migration," he added.

Give Gazans an option to leave

"How do you check if this war did something to them? Give them the option to leave. Until today, hundreds of thousands have left Gaza. The young people from there upload a lot of videos onto the Internet, coming out against what happens in the Strip; they want to leave, give them the option," Yehezkeli concluded.