Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters/scottgunn via Flickr
Haunted by a chaotic post-Saddam Iraq, the U.S. is scrambling to plan for Gaza after Hamas, even as Israel’s victory over the militant group is far from complete (or certain). But even if Hamas is eradicated, no Palestinian power seems ready to fill the vacuum.
Israel, for its part, has kept its cards close to its chest—perhaps fearing that promising Gazans a better future might be construed as a reward for Hamas’ 10/7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis—and is instead insisting that its military will continue policing Gaza until a Palestinian government it can trust takes over.
Washington and its Arab allies—except for Qatar, which has thrown its weight behind Hamas and been working hard to restore the status quo—are not certain on how to proceed after Hamas.