Can Israel defeat Hamas and secure peace in Gaza?

OOn Sunday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu briefed a group of Israeli journalists on the war against Hamas. When asked about Israel’s post-war plans, the prime minister became vague. Israel, he said, would insist on maintaining “security control” over the coastal enclave even after Hamas was removed from Gaza. “I don’t see a situation where Israel doesn’t have overall certainty of responsibility in Gaza,” he said.

But what does that mean? That Israeli troops and tanks will remain on the ground in Gaza when the fighting ends? A demilitarized buffer zone on Gaza’s borders? Withdraw all ground troops, but dive back in as soon as Hamas shows up again? And if so, who would take charge of the region and its more than two million inhabitants?