A few days before Christmas and two and a half months after Hamas killed more than 1200 men, women and children in a terrorist onslaught, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “We’re continuing the war to the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed – until victory … until all the goals we set are met: destroying Hamas, releasing our hostages and removing the threat from Gaza.”

It is on these three measures then, that Netanyahu will seek to claim victory. But how achievable are they in reality, and to what extent will they be achieved before Netanyahu the politician satisfies himself that he can claim that the mission has been accomplished?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives a security briefing with commanders and soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip on Christmas Day.Credit: AP

The issue of the hostages presents the most obvious measure of success. All of the approximately 110 living hostages who were taken and the bodies of around 20 believed to have died must be returned. It is a deeply political issue for Netanyahu on whose watch they were kidnapped and the pressure from their families for their return is becoming an increasingly significant domestic issue.

For its part Hamas understands the importance of the hostages and won’t give them up easily. With the degree of devastation that Gaza has suffered during the campaign, the likelihood that all the hostages’ remains will be recovered is questionable.

If Netanyahu’s ability to deliver on the most straightforward of his goals is questionable, then talk of “destroying” Hamas is even less likely.........

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