Speaking at the Atlantic Council Jan. 14, Secretary of State Blinken made an unusually blunt attack on the failure of Israel’s policy of annihilation in Gaza. “We’ve long made the point to the Israeli government that Hamas cannot be defeated by a military campaign alone,” Blinken said. “That’s exactly what’s happened in northern Gaza since October 7th…. Indeed, we assess that Hamas has recruited almost as many new militants as it has lost. That is a recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war.”