With a surprise action not seen in decades, Hamas has deeply shocked Israeli society. On Saturday morning, the militant movement launched a spectacular attack on southern Israel, from land, sea and air. An action that raises the question of whether Israel has seriously underestimated the rising tensions in the Palestinian territories.
According to Israeli media, more than 2,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza. Hamas itself claims that there were 7,000. Paragliders are also said to have been used in the attack. The fact that Hamas, which is much weaker militarily than Israel, is able to carry out a coordinated and apparently well-prepared attack on this scale, has caused shocked reactions in Israel. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared shortly after the attack. “No operation, no escalation. A war.” Speaks in a comment The Times of Israel this morning from “colossal failure”.
Hamas’ surprise attack follows a period of increasing violence against Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The most notable incident took place in February this year, when hundreds of Israeli settlers set fire to the Palestinian town of Huwara, resulting in one death and about a hundred injuries. In recent months, the Israeli army has also conducted several raids on Palestinian cities to eliminate militant Palestinian fighters (“terrorists”). Ultra-right politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are openly calling for the annexation of the West Bank.
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The Gaza Strip was occupied by Israel in 1967. Since 2007, there has been a strict blockade around the area by Israel and Egypt. The attack by Hamas and the subsequent outbreak of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip cannot be seen separately from the deep despair among the population of Gaza, including due to the various wars waged by Israel and Hamas in the past decade.
Hostage situations
On Saturday morning, dozens of Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza entered southern Israel. They penetrated, among others, the southern cities of Netivot and Ofakim. Several Israelis are taken hostage in Sderot. Israelis have also been captured and brought into Gaza.
Hamas has published a video of three men taken prisoner during the attacks on Israel. Previously, images circulated on social media allegedly showing Israeli soldiers and civilians being taken hostage by the Palestinians. 35 Israeli soldiers are also said to have been captured during fighting in southern Israel.
Israeli television channel Channel 12 reported that Hamas is in control of several places in southern Israel. Israeli police estimate that 60 Hamas fighters are in 14 locations in Israel, the Israeli newspaper reported Haaretz. Israeli media speak of twenty dead and five hundred injured. Hospitals in Ashkelon and Beer Sheva report 68 and 80 victims respectively. Some of them are in critical condition.
Bulldozers
The offensive is unprecedented. The Israeli security services were taken completely by surprise by the attack. Several images on X showed Palestinians using bulldozers to tear down the barrier between Gaza and Israel. Palestinians have taken control of Israel’s Erez checkpoint near the Gaza border. Other images showed dozens of Israelis fleeing advancing Palestinian militants in the south of the country. The attack poses the greatest military challenge to Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, exactly fifty years ago. It is also the largest escalation between Hamas and Israel since 2021.
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The unprecedented escalation comes at a time of deep political crisis and social polarization in Israel since the ultra-right government took office in December last year. Deep divisions among Israelis have given way to unity. Weekly demonstrations against controversial restrictions on the Supreme Court’s power have been called off. The organizations Brothers and Sisters in Arms and Forum 555, which opposed the legal reforms on behalf of reservists and previously decided to no longer make themselves available, have called on their supporters to be ready again. An Israeli army spokesman said that “thousands of reservists have been called up.”
The offensive also takes place in the context of Israel’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia. This has been going on for years, but is now gaining momentum. For American President Joe Biden, a possible mega deal between these two countries would be the culmination of his foreign policy. But Hamas allies Iran and Hezbollah see the further normalization of the Saudi relationship with Israel as a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. A few days ago they condemned the rapprochement.
Hezbollah, which operates from Lebanon, insists it is “in direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance” and says Hamas’ operation is a “strong response to Israel’s continued occupation and a signal to those who want normalization.” [van de betrekkingen] pursue with Israel.”
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Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate halt to the escalation between Hamas and Israel. In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that it was closely monitoring the developments and violence. The Gulf state emphasizes that it has repeatedly warned of explosions of violence due to the “continued occupation” by Israel and “provocations” against holy places and symbols. Saudi Arabia also calls on the international community to start a “credible peace process” that should lead to a “two-state solution” that delivers peace and security for the region.
Panic
In the meantime, there is great panic in Israel. Images show a journalist from Gaza who reports from an Israeli village. In a telephone conversation with Israel N12 News from Nir Oz, a kibbutz near Gaza, a woman identified as Dorin said militants had infiltrated her home and tried to open the bomb shelter where she was hiding. “They just came back in, please send help,” she said. “Many houses have been damaged. My husband keeps the door closed. They shoot bullets.”
The Israeli army has declared the counter-operation ‘Swords of Iron’ and calls on civilians to follow instructions. Targets in Gaza were also bombed on Saturday morning. According to Al Jazeera, 160 Palestinians have been killed.
With the collaboration of Stéphane Alonso and Melvyn Ingleby.