Hamas opened the gates of hell on the Gaza Strip

For many, it is incomprehensible how Saturday suddenly Hamas fighters in such large numbers could cause a battlefield in several places in Israel.

The attack came on the 50th anniversary of the first day of the Yom Kippur War, also called the October War, the Ramadan War, the Arab-Israeli war of October 1973, or the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, which had become a very costly war for the countries involved. Thousands of Israeli soldiers were killed in that conflict, which resulted in a hard-fought Israeli victory and left the country deeply traumatised.

The present attack also came as a political crisis within Israel left Netanyahu and his allies exposed to criticism that they were inadequately focused on potential threats against Israel. Israel’s leading opposition parties issued a statement urging unity in response to the attack. An Israel Defense Forces official declined to comment to The New York Times about how the country had been taken by surprise.

A lot of Israelis, however, are wondering what happened to all the money to defend their country and how it is possible that the intelligence services did not know about those several attacks.

How could military intelligence have failed so colossally? How could IDF bases be so easily overrun? How could Gazans bombard Israel from the air, land and sea, occupying Israeli communities, slaughtering soldiers and civilians alike, and taking dozens of hostages, without any seeming resistance?

With harrowing images and videos of Israelis being held hostage or hiding in shelters, how could it take so long for military or police forces to respond? How could Gazans simply bring a bulldozer to tear down the fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip?

The attack also comes as Israel is seeking to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon that is a proxy for Iran, praised the attack and said it should be seen as a message to Arab countries considering ties with Israel, which four countries have struck in the last three years. Saudi officials reportedly were pressing for gains for the Palestinians in their negotiations.

One can rest assured that this unexpected attack by Hamas fighters will be the beginning of large-scale fighting.

“We are at war,”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the attack, later warning that a

“prolonged and powerful campaign”

would be required to win. Military reservists had been called up and the Israel Defense Forces began striking in Gaza, the Palestinian territory that Hamas controls.

“Hamas opened the gates of hell on the Gaza Strip, Hamas made the decision and Hamas will bear the responsibility and pay the price,”

said Ghassan Alian, the IDF’s liaison to the Palestinians.

For Hezbollah, the surrounding countries should be aware that they will not tolerate any agreements with Israel to the detriment of the Palestinian and Arab people.

+

Find to read:

1. Music festival for peace turned into a war field
2. 50 Years after the Yom Kippur attack a new Hamas attack