The “Day After” in Gaza: Will Israel and the US Agree to Disagree?

More than three months into the war against Hamas, IDF forces are now deepening their combat in the Gaza Strip. In the north, Hezbollah continues to launch rockets against Israeli military and civilian targets, but this activity currently remains below the threshold of war. On other fronts, the Houthis in Yemen and the Iranians have interfered with cargo ships in the Red Sea, and weapons smuggling from Syria to Jordan continues. In addition, more than 120 Israelis (men and women, babies, elderly, and soldiers) remain in Hamas captivity. Is Israel headed toward an ongoing war with no end in sight? What are its plans for the “day after,” and are they in line with the current principles and conditions of the Biden administration? How can Israel reach its war goals and maintain the support of the United States, its greatest ally? And how are the upcoming elections in the US related to this? INSS researcher Adi Kantor sits down with INSS senior researcher Prof. Chuck Freilich, who served for over 20 years in Israel’s national security establishment, as a senior analyst and then as deputy national security adviser. Together they discuss current US-Israel relations and future perspectives regarding the war in Gaza.