8-10-2023 (JERUSALEM) Israeli forces found themselves locked in intense clashes with gunmen affiliated with the Palestinian group Hamas on Sunday, just 24 hours after the militants launched a shocking and unanticipated attack on Israel, leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives. This has marked the deadliest day of violence in Israel in five decades.
This colossal incursion into Israel, which is the most significant in decades, has the potential to undermine the US-backed efforts aimed at establishing regional security alliances. These alliances, if formed, could pose a substantial threat to the Palestinian aspirations for statehood and the interests of Hamas’s primary supporter, Iran.
The offensive by Hamas fighters began at the break of dawn on Saturday, with an overwhelming barrage of rockets aimed at southern Israel. This was followed by an unparalleled and multi-faceted infiltration of fighters from Gaza, a narrow strip housing 2.3 million Palestinians, into Israeli territory.
During the course of the day, Hamas fighters engaged in deadly clashes with Israeli forces, leading to the deaths of at least 250 Israelis. Subsequently, they managed to retreat back into Gaza, holding dozens of hostages. In response to this attack, Israel launched one of its most devastating retaliatory strikes, resulting in over 230 casualties among the Gazans.
“We will take mighty vengeance for this wicked day,” declared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.
Israeli troops battled Hamas gunmen throughout the night in various parts of southern Israel. An Israeli army spokesperson reported on social media that the situation was still not fully under control.
This escalation is unfolding against a backdrop of surging violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where a Palestinian authority exercises limited self-rule. This situation is vehemently opposed by Hamas, which seeks the destruction of Israel.
The West Bank has witnessed a surge in Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks, and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. The conditions for Palestinians have significantly deteriorated under Netanyahu’s hard-right government, and peacemaking efforts have remained at a standstill for years.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated that the assault, which began in Gaza, would extend to the West Bank and Jerusalem. Gazans have been living under an Israeli blockade for 16 years.
During a speech, Haniyeh underscored the threats to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the continuation of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, and Israel’s normalization of relations with countries in the region. He expressed frustration over the persistent denial of rights to the Palestinian people, who have been living in refugee camps for 75 years.
Amid the chaos, bodies of Israeli civilians, surrounded by shattered glass, lay strewn across the streets of Sderot in southern Israel, near Gaza. A man and woman were found sprawled across the front seats of a car.
Terrified Israelis, barricaded in safe rooms, recounted their harrowing experiences via phone on live television.
The Israeli military acknowledged that senior military officers were among those killed in the fighting near Gaza.
In response, Netanyahu’s office announced that his security cabinet had approved measures to dismantle the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas and another militant group, Islamic Jihad, “for many years.” These measures include cutting off electricity, fuel supplies, and the entry of goods into Gaza.
Gaza was shrouded in black smoke, with orange flashes and sparks lighting up the sky due to the ongoing explosions. The sound of Israeli drones could be heard overhead.
In Gaza, the dead and wounded were carried into overwhelmed and crumbling hospitals, which are grappling with severe shortages of medical supplies and equipment. The health ministry reported 232 fatalities and at least 1,700 wounded.
In response to the situation, Western countries, led by the United States, strongly denounced the attack.
From the White House, President Joe Biden addressed the nation, affirming Israel’s right to self-defense and issuing a stern warning to Iran and other nations: “This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. The world is watching.”
The United States has been actively pursuing an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a development highly coveted by Israelis in their decades-long quest for Arab recognition. Palestinians, however, fear that any such agreement could compromise their dreams of an independent state.
Osama Hamdan, the leader of Hamas in Lebanon, warned that Saturday’s operation should serve as a reminder to Arab states that accepting Israeli security demands would not lead to peace.
Across the Middle East, demonstrations in support of Hamas were witnessed, with protesters burning Israeli and US flags and brandishing Palestinian flags in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Iran and Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese allies, praised the Hamas attack.
Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri informed Al Jazeera that the group was holding a substantial number of Israeli captives, including senior officials. He emphasized that Hamas had enough captives to secure the release of all Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
Hamas stated that the attack was triggered by escalated Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The fact that Israel was taken by surprise in this attack is being lamented as one of the most significant intelligence failures in the nation’s history, a shocking development for a country that prides itself on its extensive monitoring of militants and infiltration efforts.
