As the dust seems to have settled somewhat in the latest ceasefire deal of January 2025, one might ask: was the Israel-Hamas War an unnecessary and futile war?

And who had won?

Was this a great victory for Israel and USA against their archenemies in the Middle East, since they seem to have so dramatically degraded Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian Islamists?

Or was it a great victory for Hamas, since it seems to have survived the most savage onslaught, bombardments, and assassinations by the Israeli military, as well as the almost total devastation of Gaza and the deaths of so many Palestinians?

The answers, unfortunately, are not so clearcut.