Hamas… When Is It Time For Politics

Since the war in Gaza began eleven months ago, all the parties concerned (the warring factions, mediators, or the countries seeking to stop the war) have been engaged in confrontations, waging struggles, and facing criticism. However, they are negotiating and "playing politics," but the same cannot be said for the Hamas movement, regardless of Khaled Meshaal or Ismail Haniyeh’s attempts (before he was assassinated in Tehran) at "playing politics".
One could argue that Hamas hasn't played politics due to the devastating war, and because Sinwar is in the trenches.
That is true. However, the war has reached the stage of destroying all of Gaza, its people, and the Palestinian cause. More dangerously, it has reached a point where maps are being redrawn, not just changed, as I had warned in a previous article at the onset of the crisis.
When I mention "playing politics," there are numerous examples and lessons to learn from. For instance, we see the American president and the Israeli prime minister sparring in the media, but they are playing politics, even during the worst moments.
The same applies to Iran and Hezbollah. Although they are pushing matters to the brink, or are being pushed there by Israel, they are still playing politics, as happened after Israel targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
This also happened following Israel’s assassination of Iranian leaders in Syria and the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. To this day, Iran has yet to retaliate to his assassination. Instead, it is negotiating both secretly and openly. Most recently, the Supreme Leader allowed his government to hold negotiations with Washington on Iran’s nuclear program.
The same applies to Hezbollah, which has been on the receiving end of Israeli strikes almost daily, and has seen many of its leaders assassinated, whether in the heart of the southern suburbs of Beirut or in Syria. Despite all of Hassan Nasrallah's statements, he is "playing politics" for fear of an all-out war with Israel.
Meanwhile, two parties in the region are unwilling and unable to "play politics:" the Houthis and Hamas. The Houthis are a different story, but Hamas is squandering the last opportunities to salvage whatever can be salvaged of the Palestinian cause as a whole.
It is true that Netanyahu is pushing matters to the brink because he has control on the ground. He has his military machine and wants to change the reality of the cause; rather, he wants to take us back to the pre-Oslo era, or worse. He seeks to extend his political life and will not genuinely compromise before the American presidential elections.
All of this is true, but Hamas now has the opportunity to "play politics" and embarrass Netanyahu, both domestically and internationally, by cooperating with the Palestinian Authority. They could announce that the PA is responsible for Gaza and its administration, and authorize it to negotiate with Israel regarding the prisoners.
Some might say this is impossible, that neither Iran nor Israel would accept this, and that the international community is not ready for it, especially not Washington. That all might be true, but it would also mean that Hamas has decided to "play politics," embarrass Netanyahu and everyone else, and maintain what remains of the Palestinian cause.
As the saying goes, if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Hamas should seriously consider supporting President Mahmoud Abbas's request to enter Gaza and preventing Netanyahu from imposing the rules of the day after.
We must remember that there can be no war without politics; otherwise, it becomes futile violence.