Hamas mounted locally superior forces and took advantage of failures in Israeli intelligence, military, and above all political leadership.

Do I think Hamas can defeat the IDF in a stand up fight? Obviously not, as the IDF is currently demonstrating.

Does Hamas, along with Hizballah, the Houthis, other Iranian proxies, and Iran itself pose an existential threat to Israel? You bet.

A major aspect of what prevents war is the perception among your enemies that they should never poke the bear or things will go badly for them and they'll pay a price they don't want to pay.

That's what this way is about. That, and putting enough pressure on Hamas that they return our hostages.

And finally, eradicating Hamas as a functioning organization so they can never do this again.