The Israel-Hamas war started nearly four months ago on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists and others from the Gaza Strip killed 1,200 Israelis and others, including 31 Americans, and kidnapped more than 200. Some 130 Israelis and others remain hostages. In fighting this war, Israel is juggling sometimes conflicting challenges: eliminate Hamas as a threat to Israel’s security while seeking to return all the hostages and minimize Israeli and civilian Gaza casualties while confronting an enemy sheltering in hundreds of miles of fortified tunnels and operating in highly populated civilian areas. Delving into how Israel juggles these military and political challenges are Michael Eisenstadt, who heads the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Eitan Shamir, a political studies professor at Bar-Ilan University and the director of the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Moderating their discussion Jan. 31 is Ken Stein, CIE’s president and an Emory University emeritus professor of Middle East history, political science and Israel studies.