Watch Webinar – Gaza Ceasefire Collapse: Fighting Resumes
Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip on March 17 after direct U.S.-Hamas ceasefire negotiations collapsed. U.S. Middle East special envoy Steven Witkoff blamed Hamas for the talks’ breakdown, citing the terror group’s “entirely impractical” demands, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Hamas terrorists are “savages” and “we need to treat them as such.”
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted sweeping airstrikes across the Gaza Strip and moved tanks into the Netzarim corridor bisecting the Gaza Strip in a new military campaign—Operation Strength and Shield— to defeat Hamas and free the remaining hostages. Hamas has reportedly recruited thousands of new terror operatives in recent weeks, setting the stage for major hostilities in Gaza.
To provide analysis on the unfolding situation, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and JINSA Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow John Hannah.
The discussion was moderated by JINSA Vice President for Policy Blaise Misztal.
IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror IDF Major General (ret.) Yaakov Amidror is a Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy Distinguished Fellow. MG Amidror was formerly the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, as well as the head of the National Security Council, from 2011-2013. During his 36-year career in the IDF, MG Amidror served as Commander of IDF Military Colleges, Military Secretary for the Minister of Defense, Director of the Intelligence Analysis Division, and as Intelligence Officer for the Northern Command. |
John Hannah John Hannah is the Randi & Charles Wax Senior Fellow at JINSA’s Gemunder Center for Defense and Strategy. Hannah served in senior foreign policy positions for both Democratic and Republican administrations, including as former Vice President Dick Cheney’s National Security Advisor from 2005-2009 and as Vice President Cheney’s Deputy National Security Advisor for the Middle East from 2001-2005. Previously, he also served as a senior advisor to Secretary of State Warren Christopher during the Bill Clinton administration, and as a senior member of Secretary of State James A. Baker’s Policy Planning Staff during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. |
Blaise Misztal Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. His research interests include Iran and its nuclear program, U.S.-Turkey relations, countering extremism, and strategic competition. Prior to joining JINSA, Misztal served as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States, a congressionally mandated project convened by the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Program. He has testified before Congress and published widely—including op-eds in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and Roll Call. |