.Time is Like a Flood: If You Don’t Cut It Off, It Will Sweep You Away
With these words, a leader whose people had endured genocide and ethnic cleansing summed up the meaning of ending bloodshed by all means. His statement reflected a realistic reading of the political and military balance on the ground, a clear awareness of the enemy’s plans, and a deep listening to the cries of his people under brutal assault. These were the words of a man who led the battles himself, not from radio studios or hotel rooms, and who made his decisions at the right time, without hesitation. Even if such decisions were unpopular, or even perceived as a form of defeat, they ultimately spared his people greater losses had the war dragged on.
Bosnia and Gaza: Parallels and Differences
The war in Bosnia shares similarities and differences with the ongoing war in Gaza. The main common factor is the enormous human cost. But unlike Bosnia, the war in Gaza has been marked by a rhetoric of fabricated victories. From the very beginning, Gaza’s de facto rulers have filled the airwaves with assurances that no Israeli ground invasion could succeed. Yet Israeli tanks traversed Gaza from one end to the other. Before the invasion of Rafah, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk declared, “They threaten us with Rafah; let them enter, and we shall see what they do.” Today, Rafah lies in ruins. The same can be said of Jabalia, Shuja’iyya, and elsewhere, while the rhetoric has remained unchanged.
For many outside Gaza, talk of “the upcoming battle in the olive groves” evoked images of North African or Mediterranean landscapes. A resident of Gaza’s al-Zaytoun neighborhood had to remind them: it was merely about twenty barren olive trees in a local district — not sprawling forests.
Public Frustration
It is no coincidence that many Gazans have called on Egypt to detain the Hamas negotiating delegation and send them back into Gaza, to live the daily reality of war before sitting at the table. Instead, negotiations have been dragged out across the world’s hotels, while Gaza’s people continue to die under bombardment, hunger, and disease. Instead of focusing on alleviating this suffering, Hamas leaders spent their time attacking states whose limitations were well known, only to return to them later asking for mediation — but by then, doors had closed.
Lost Time, Lost Lives
Three months were wasted in hesitating over Netanyahu’s proposal — known as the Wietkoff Plan — amid endless marathon talks. Did the negotiators ever ask themselves about the cost of this delay in terms of lives lost, destruction, hunger, and political credibility? Even worse, their eventual willingness to consider the plan came only under the pressure of military escalation and threats from Washington. Today, Netanyahu himself has withdrawn the proposal; he no longer needs it. His demand is now clear: all hostages, dead or alive, at the same price.
“Gideon 2” and the Fall of Gaza City
Netanyahu’s latest move, “Gideon 2,” — the occupation of Gaza City — was initially dismissed by Hamas-affiliated analysts as mere pressure tactics. Yet it became a military reality, adding to the devastation of Rafah and northern Gaza. Israeli ministers like Israel Katz openly declared that Gaza City would be sacrificed, reshaped beyond recognition.
The Tragedy of Leadership
One of the greatest tragedies for Palestinians is that the fate of the majority is held hostage by a small minority. While the Palestinian Authority and Arab partners sought a “ladder for Hamas to climb down with minimal losses,” the leadership in Gaza chose unilateralism, delusions of grandeur, and a rhetoric of imaginary victories. By doing so, they effectively walked into Netanyahu’s and Trump’s strategies.
Their faith in the leverage of hostages remains misplaced. Hostage recovery has never been Netanyahu’s top priority. For him, even retrieving bodies is an acceptable outcome. In his and Trump’s calculations, the lives of soldiers — dead or alive — carry no greater value than those already lost or those who will fall in upcoming battles. After “Gideon 2” in Gaza City, “Gideon 3” is expected in the central camps.
Time is Running Out
Netanyahu is racing against Washington’s clock. For the U.S., the Ukraine war is the cornerstone: resolving it would allow focus on containing China. Washington has little appetite for Gaza’s images of famine and corpses overshadowing its grand strategy. From Gaza to Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan, the administration sees these crises as secondary fronts — issues to be postponed or “cooled down” until they can be addressed later, perhaps in a “grand bargain” with Iran.
For Netanyahu, this means he has no time to waste. And for Trump, who may have three or more years in power with unprecedented support for Israel, the imbalance of power is firmly in Israel’s favor.
Final Questions
So the pressing question for Gaza’s rulers is: Do they still believe they have the luxury of time? Can they continue to watch their people endure endless death, famine, and destruction? Or has political blindness reached the point of refusing to see reality as it is?
History teaches that wars are not only about choosing the right time to start a battle, but also about recognizing the right time to end it. Victory does not lie in spinning myths or waiting for miracles from the heavens, but in strategic wisdom, realism, and the ability to minimize losses.
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