Oct. 7, 2023, now ranks among the most impactful dates in Middle Eastern history. Yet despite acting as a catalyst for significant change in the region, three years later Israel finds itself shifting back to its pre-war strategy in Gaza — one of containment rather than resolution. This is because Israel's imperatives lie farther east in the West Bank, which is part of Israel's still-incomplete geographic core; Gaza is, by contrast, more akin to a deadly distraction. But it will trade one imperative for another: as the international community's plans for Gaza will likely remain on hold while fighting continues and Israel directly occupies over half the Strip, this strategy will leave Gaza a sore point for Israel's diplomatic relations abroad. Israel will become more isolated and it will be forced to adapt its economic and diplomatic model away from its traditional relationships with the West toward whichever other partners.