The Western world’s preeminent strategist, Carl von Clausewitz, famously declared that war is a continuation of politics by other means. For him wars were instrumental, being fought to achieve defined political objectives and not simply to kill people and break things. This logic is not informing how Israel and Hamas are fighting in Gaza. Instead, the war is perceived by both as a war of existence. In such wars, there are no considerations about whether the costs are worth the gains.
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