On Saturday, during the Jewish holy holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas conducted a surprise attack on Israel that included militants scaling security fences and a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas unleashed a heavy barrage of rockets across southern Israel just before six in the morning.
The sirens could be heard in Tel Aviv and Beersheba. The videos showing how these Hamas militants entered the IDF base are incomprehensible. They were still wearing their pajamas. They perished, piled high in chambers, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. There was no sound of an alarm. No sensor was activated when the initial line of protection was breached, and no one noticed a sizable group of militants approaching.
The majority of fighters crossed security barriers on land to enter Israel from Gaza. At least one person was seen crossing using a motorized parachute, while a motorboat was seen heading to Zikim, an Israeli seaside hamlet and military outpost. If you can find the original video that was released, you can see that these Hamas fighters are not exceptionally well-trained. This makes absolutely no sense!
Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by numerous countries including Israel, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in conflict with Israel for decades. The development of the Hamas attack on Israel is complex, rooted in historical, political, and ideological factors.
The origins of Hamas trace back to the late 1980s, emerging from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Initially, Hamas focused on providing social services and gaining support through its charitable activities in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. However, its ultimate goal was always the liberation of Palestine and the establishment of an Islamic state in the region, rejecting the existence of Israel.
As the Oslo Accords of the 1990s failed to bring about a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, tensions escalated. Hamas intensified its attacks on Israel, employing tactics such as suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings. These actions aimed to challenge Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and undermine its security.
The Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000, saw a significant increase in violence, with Hamas playing a prominent role in the uprising. The group exploited the frustration and grievances of Palestinians, using both armed resistance and propaganda to rally support for its cause. Suicide bombings became a hallmark of Hamas’s campaign against Israel, causing widespread fear and casualties among Israeli civilians.
Israel responded to Hamas’s attacks with military operations aimed at dismantling the group’s infrastructure and preventing further violence. The cycle of violence continued, marked by periods of relative calm punctuated by flare-ups of conflict. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes and ground incursions into Gaza, targeting Hamas militants and their facilities, while Hamas launched rockets into Israeli territory, often indiscriminately targeting civilian areas.
The blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007, further exacerbated tensions. The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has led to economic hardship and humanitarian suffering among the Palestinian population. Hamas has used the blockade as a rallying cry against Israel, portraying itself as a resistance movement fighting against oppression.
In recent years, efforts to broker a ceasefire and long-term peace agreement have been repeatedly thwarted by distrust, mutual recriminations, and internal divisions among the Palestinians. The Trump administration’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there in 2018 further inflamed tensions, prompting protests and violence in Gaza.
The latest escalation in violence between Israel and Hamas occurred in May 2021, following weeks of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Jerusalem. Hamas launched a barrage of rockets into Israel, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in retaliation. The conflict lasted for 11 days, resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction on both sides.
The underlying grievances and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians remain unresolved, perpetuating the cycle of violence and conflict. The Hamas attack on Israel reflects the deep-seated animosity and competing narratives that continue to shape the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Until a comprehensive and just resolution is reached, the cycle of violence is likely to persist, claiming more lives and perpetuating suffering on both sides.
