In an unprecedented act of aggression, Hamas, a Palestinian-based militant outfit, orchestrated a lethal assault on Israeli soil on October 7. The onslaught saw Hamas fighters infiltrating settlements near the Gaza Strip, leading to the tragic loss of hundreds of lives and dozens taken captive.
Hamas, an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which translates to Islamic Resistance Movement or “zeal” in Arabic, governs the Gaza Strip. Their mission, entrenched deeply in their organizational ethos, is the destruction of Israel to foster an Islamic state. Conflicts with Israel have been regularized events since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, involving several acts of warfare, rocket firings, and orchestrated attacks.
Israel retaliates with airstrikes frequently and has sent troops into Gaza in two wars. In alliance with Egypt, Israel has enforced a blockade on the Gaza Strip citing security reasons since 2007. With financial backing, armamentarium, and training support from Iran, Hamas poses a considerable threat and has been recognized as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the European Union, the UK, and other major powers.
The Gaza Strip, stretching 41km in length and 10km in width, nestled between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea, is crucial to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Earlier under Egyptian occupation, Israeli forces captured it in the 1967 Middle East war, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem, before withdrawing troops and settlers in 2005. Today, it is populated by about 2.3 million residents, making it one of the most densely populated regions globally.
With the surge in Israeli-Palestinian tensions, the latest attack on October 7 may reflect retaliation or strategic posturing for Hamas. The year has witnessed the highest ever record of Palestinian deaths in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, perhaps inspiring Hamas’s violent response. Furthermore, their motive could potentially be a propaganda victory against Israel and exert pressure on it to release some of the estimated 4,500 Palestinians held captive. Speculation is rife with assumptions that this attack may be Iran’s orchestration, although Iran’s Supreme Leader has refuted such claims.
BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen cites this as the most motivated operation ever launched by Hamas from Gaza and marks the gravest cross-border attack Israel has grappled with in over a generation. The group’s militants pierced the border wire separating Gaza from Israel and wreaked havoc in many locations. Astonishingly, given the resources of the Shin Bet, Israeli domestic security services, Mossad, and Israel Defense Forces’ assets, it is almost unbelievable that the attack could not be foreseen.
In response to the attack, the US, being Israel’s closest ally, moved an aircraft carrier, ships, and jets to the eastern Mediterranean to demonstrate unwavering support to Israel and caution the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah. The group, known for its opposition towards Israel and alignment with Hamas, was warned not to attack Israel.
The narrative is reminiscent of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, where Israel was caught in a surprise assault by Egypt and Syria. The adverse impact of the war on Israel’s collective psyche instigated an obsession with national security and military preparedness. With the death toll on a rise in Israel and the imminent initiation of a ground offensive on Gaza, peace may seem a distant prospect.-
