Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser: The agreement ends the war without explicitly saying so. Hence, Hamas has achieved its goal, and Israel is completing the process of paying the price for the blunder of October 7th.
Published in The Media Line, January 16, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael: It was a very significant change in the Israeli military approach, to fight in the most fortified the area in the world with an underground web of 700km of tunnels.
Critically in Gaza, the plan was launched into action against what Israel saw in Hamas as a very well-organised, well-established, well-equipped and trained terror army of a semi-state entity.
Published in The National, January 15, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael: Today’s Hamas is not the Hamas of Yahya Sinwar. I am not sure they even have control over their own people, let alone the other organizations operating in Gaza. At its core, Hamas is skilled at manipulating the Israeli side, and we must anticipate such actions and not allow them to toy with us. We must respond immediately when we detect the first manipulation.
We also have to assume that Hamas will make every possible effort to rebuild their military capabilities, and we must strengthen our capacities from an intelligence standpoint.
The interview took place on Channel I24 on January 13, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael: I think it’s more than dozens. I think we’re talking about a few hundred rockets. We have to remember that Hamas prepared in advance for launching very large barrages at Israel, and hence, many rockets were prepared ahead of time,” including in underground locations and in orchards, he told JNS.
Currently, the vast majority of the Hamas and PIJ arsenal has been destroyed. Some of its precious few remaining rockets are being launched as IDF forces close in on them.
While Hamas retains small arms, TNT, and, potentially, the capacity for extremely restricted rocket production, Compared to what they had in October, and even after Oct. 7, we’re talking about completely minimal capabilities.
Published in The Algemeiner, January 24, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael told The Post that Trump’s re-election might be a great opportunity to bring about peace in the region following the widely acknowledged success of the Abraham Accords from the 45th president’s first term.
We see the impacts of President-elect Trump before he enters the White House. We see what is going there with Hamas, when President Trump said that they will see ‘hell’ if they will not release the hostages — and see what is going there with the Iranians,” said Michael, former head of the Israeli National Security Council’s Palestinian division.
“They are in a huge confusion now, OK? In the worst strategic position in the last four decades. And I think that the vision of President Trump is the vision of weakening Iran.
Published in New York Post, January 10, 2025.
Ruth Wasserman Lande: A new world order is in formation. The equation has become – radical Islam vs the rest of the world. In order to remedy an illness, there is a dire need to diagnose it correctly.
The interview took place at I24 on January 9, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael: I cannot foresee significant progress until President Trump assumes office. While I hope my assessment is wrong, based on my understanding of Hamas and the present situation, I do not believe we will see any breakthroughs in the near future.
Published in AFP, January 09, 2025.
Prof. Kobi Michael: I think we’re talking about a few hundred rockets. We have to remember that Hamas prepared in advance for launching very large barrages at Israel, and hence, many rockets were prepared ahead of time,” including in underground locations and in orchards.
Currently, the vast majority of the Hamas and PIJ arsenal has been destroyed. Some of its precious few remaining rockets are being launched as IDF forces close in on them.
Published in JNS, January 9, 2025.
Arsen Ostrovsky: The actions of the Hind Rajab Foundation amounted to “lawfare,” a term used to describe the strategic use of legal action to damage an opponent.
The biggest impact here will be a reconsideration of soldiers’ travel plans to certain destinations and an adverse effect on diplomatic relations between Israel and those countries that entertain these baseless legal assaults.
The incoming Trump administration will also have a key role to play. They have already threatened to unleash a fury of sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which ought to be extended to any country that seeks to entertain this egregious abuse of the law by extremist anti-Israel groups hounding IDF soldiers.
Published in The National News, January 6, 2025.
Asher Fredman: Every time Hamas saw American pressure on Israel, it gave Hamas hope that it would survive, and only led to further ‘hardening of its heart’, making a hostage deal more difficult. A US-led maximum pressure campaign on Tehran, or even joint US-Israel strikes on Iran, could reduce the fear of Iranian arms smuggling into Gaza.
The interview took place on the channel on January 5, 2025.
