The last time I’d met with Naftali Bennett was at his home north of Tel Aviv, not long after the attacks of October 7 and just before Israel’s army went into the Gaza Strip. The former Israeli prime minister was worried about a blood bath. He also had a plan to avoid it.

Bennett, whose short-lived term of office from 2021 to 2022 was notable for the ideological breadth of his government, sketched a four-part concept. 1.) Seize Gaza’s peripheries without trying to occupy its cities. 2.) Provide Palestinians with food, water, medicine and safe havens, but not the fuel that Hamas needs to operate its tunnels. 3.) Use an “ongoing and persistent series of targeted ground raids” to gradually degrade and destroy Hamas’ military over months or years. 4.) Offer safe passage out of Gaza for Hamas fighters willing to surrender, probably in exchange for the release of Israel’s hostages.