After the horrific attack launched by Hamas into Israel, it is understandable why the Israeli government as well as Israelis in general would want to launch a ground attack on Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas’s position there once and for all.

I can’t help but remember, though, Osama bin Laden’s boast about how the half million dollars Al Qaeda spent on the 9/11 attacks resulted in the U.S. spending far greater sums in a largely fruitless effort to destroy its various opponents in the Muslim world.

Hamas may be aiming at similarly provoking an Israeli ground offensive into Gaza which it anticipates will not succeed militarily but will result in enormous Palestinian civilian deaths that will serve to return the plight of the Palestinians to the forefront of Arab public opinion, which will in turn prevent or even reverse cooperation between Israel and various Arab governments.

Hamas may further calculate that bogging Israeli forces down in Gaza may encourage Hezbollah to attack the Jewish state from Lebanon as well as incite a renewed intifada in the West Bank, resulting in two more quagmires for Israel.

Israel must not be drawn into this trap set for it by Hamas. Instead, Israel should focus on destroying Hamas’s military capabilities in a way that minimizes civilian casualties.

Something else Israel could do is make clear to Qatar that if it wants to continue giving aid to Gaza, then it needs to expel the Hamas leadership from Doha where they helped plan Hamas attacks on Israel resulting in so many Israeli and Palestinian deaths.

Yet while Israel conducts a more targeted campaign against Hamas, it must also finally do something to achieve a political settlement to the Palestinian issue which is not going to go away even if Israel signs an Abraham accord with each and every Arab government and Iran itself.

Hamas’s domination over Gaza has played into the hands of conservative Israeli leaders who don’t want a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas’s atrocious behavior—as well as Fatah’s incompetence and corruption—have made it all too easy to argue that Israel does not have a true Palestinian partner to negotiate with.

Israel along with Western and Arab governments need to build up an alternative to Hamas. If this does not occur, then more such attacks seeking to draw Israel into a quagmire can be expected.

About the Author

Mark N. Katz is a professor of government and politics at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.