A year into the war in Gaza, the Israeli government’s objective of defeating Hamas still seems far from reach as Israel ramps up its military activity in the enclave with the announcement of new operations and civilian evacuation orders.

Smoke and question marks still hang over the devastated Gaza Strip one year after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack touched off a regional firestorm.

Hamas’ attack on Israel a year ago sparked a war that has brought immense destruction and loss of life to Gaza, seriously degraded the militant movement, and sown the seeds for regional conflict. But it portrays its mere survival as a victory.