Hamas orchestrated a massive deceptive attack on Israel on Sunday, October 7th, 2023 catching Israel off guard. Hamas fired thousands of rockets into central and southern Israel. This attack marks the most significant breach in Israel’s defenses since the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, culminating in devastating events.
Simultaneously with the rocket barrage, Hamas devised an unprecedented multi-pronged infiltration of fighters into Israel. Hamas militants had entered Israel by breaching the land border, using boats, and using motorized paragliders to then parachute into Israel. Hamas militants then started civilians and residential buildings.
Israel responded by sending fighter jets into Gaza and targeting residential buildings and mosques. Hamas responded by threatening to kill Israeli hostages. The situation continues to deteriorate with both Israel and Hamas targeting civilians. 22 Americans have also been confirmed dead as a result of Hamas attacks.
Israeli bombs hit Gaza Strip on October 14. Photo Credits: AFP
The person behind the attack is Mohammed Deif. He is the commander of Hamas and a secretive person. He has been rarely seen in public and when the attack on Israel was initiated, he stated public that Israel’s time would be over soon. He planned this attack for 2 years. He successfully hid the operation, masking it by telling Israel that Hamas is focused on economic development. Iran, which provides Hamas weapons and other resources, had limited knowledge of Hamas’s timing and details of the operation. However, Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khamenei stated Iran was not involved in the attack, but there is speculation that Iran has provided the means for the attack.
The international community has called for restraint on both sides, with Western countries openly supporting Israel and Middle Eastern condemning Hamas and supporting Palestinians. People around the world have been divided and polarized over Israel and Palestine and with no fault of their own. The international community has tragically failed to assist in the development of two-stat solution.
The Israel-Palestine question has been an ongoing conflict since 1948, with no end in bloodshed in sight. Israelis and Palestinians have constantly fought for religious land claims, particularly the Jerusalem question. Tensions have consistently risen since Israel was first formed. Palestinians in the region have fought against the formation of Israel and Israel’s response has been inhumane with limiting food and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip, blocking water access, and harming Palestinians. The international community wants to point fingers and blame either Israel or Palestine, but the people should start addressing and calling out leaders and the United Nations organizations for failing to help the people of both Israel and Palestine.
For too long the international community has taken a top-down approach instead of a bottom-up approach. The international community needs to bypass the governments of Israel and Palestine and protect lives, particularly the lives of Palestinians who were blocked from food and medical supplies, and support those who have lost their lives from Israeli and Hamas bombings.
The first step to stopping this cycle is to address Israel’s far-right government. The Middle East wants peace, and Saudi Arabia’s goal for relations normalization with Israel should be a clear sign to follow through. The only thing preventing this from happening is Netanyahu, who is not motivated to address the Palestine question. Netanyahu will continue to harm the lives of his own people if he continues to push far-right goals that will only create hate and fuel the fire to terrorists like Hamas.
The next step is Jerusalem. The world should continue to address a two-state solution, but Jerusalem belongs to no one. Jerusalem should be its own entity, religious land that is claimed by no government, similar to a Vatican-style land. This would be a shared land in which people can openly practice their religions and keep religion separate from the government, which is what both Israelis and Palestinians want.
The final step is extremism. The international community must eradicate Hamas and address Israeli far-rights which have caused bloodshed and innocent lives of Palestinians and Israelis.
Israelis and Palestinians are at no fault for what happened. It is the extremism that continues to live on both sides that feeds into conflicts like the one we are seeing now. It’s time to change our approach and start bottom-up approaches, not be bound by picking sides but ensuring quality of life for the Palestinians who deserve justice from Israeli extremist chokehold on resources and Israelis who have been living in constant fear of being attacked. As countries continue to be picking sides, it is only adding to the division between Israelis and Palestinians.
Author: Aleksandros Spaho
