What Happened in Israel at the Weekend?
On Saturday morning, during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas, considered a terrorist organization in several countries, launched an attack on Israel.
Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. Established in 1987 and affirming its charter in 1988, Hamas declared its mission to liberate Palestine, including modern-day Israel, from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state covering the present-day regions of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
In 2004, the International Court of Justice deemed an Israeli barrier illegal and found that Israeli settlements had been “established in breach of international law.” Israel rejected this ruling.
Since winning the legislative elections in 2006, Hamas has become the de facto governing authority in the Gaza Strip after the 2007 Battle of Gaza. It also holds a majority in the parliament of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
However, the government of Hamas is not recognized by many countries allied with Israel, including Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. Conversely, countries like Brazil, China, Norway, Russia, and Turkey do not consider the organization a terrorist group.
The incident on Monday caught Israel off guard. Despite having robust intelligence services, Israel failed to prevent the attack, described as catastrophic. In a multi-domain operation involving land, air, and sea, the group breached Israel’s smart fence, infiltrating the country with motorbikes, pickup trucks, speedboats, and motorized paragliders. They penetrated up to 30km into Israel, entering at least four Israeli military bases. The group attacked the Nova music festival near Gaza, killing at least 260 attendees. Subsequently, Hamas units roamed freely in southern communities, causing fatalities and kidnappings, including reports of beheadings and sexual violence.
Hamas then relocated hostages, both civilians and military personnel, back to Gaza’s notorious network of underground tunnels, declaring their goal to “liberate our land, our holy places, our Al-Asqsa Mosque, and our prisoners.”
Israel claims a death toll exceeding 700, describing it as “the worst massacre of innocent civilians in Israel’s history.” In response, Israel has declared war on Hamas, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of reservists and conducting retaliatory bombardments in Gaza, where authorities report over 300 casualties.
Simultaneously, Israel is amassing troops for a potential ground invasion of Gaza. The global community, including the US, the EU, the UK, France, and India, condemns Hamas and supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Conversely, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Indonesia blame Israel for its treatment of Palestinians. Egypt mediates, warning of a potential broader regional conflict.
Iran has reportedly “congratulated” the Palestinian people, with Hamas alleging Iranian backing for the attack. The Wall Street Journal suggests Iran’s involvement in planning and giving the final green light, although the US is still investigating.
The survival of Hamas in its current form is doubtful after Israeli retaliation, but history indicates the emergence of new leaders. The vengefulness of Israel is exemplified by a 2011 incident where 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, after five years in Hamas captivity.
As the global order frays, space is created for destructive forces to exploit, echoing the sentiment expressed by a Western ambassador to Israel: “deep down, people don’t want peace; they want to win.”
