Hamas, the extremist organization that controls Gaza, managed to surprise Israel with a large and brutal attack. However, it has been simmering under the surface for a long time, writes reporter Vilma Romsi in Ramallah.
Vilma Romsi
RAMALLAH/ WEST BANK Hamas, the extremist organization that controls the Gaza Strip, attacked Israel on Saturday in an unprecedented manner. It managed to surprise Israeli intelligence, penetrate the Gaza border, fire thousands of rockets and kidnap dozens of Israelis.
The attack, with its massacre of civilians, was terrorism at its purest.
Especially Israelis living near the Gaza border are used to rocket attacks. However, the infiltration of Hamas soldiers into Israeli cities undermines Israelis’ sense of security and shocks the world.
Attack however, it was only a matter of time.
This fall, 30 years have passed since the Oslo peace agreement – in that time, the second Palestinian uprising and wars between Israel and Hamas have taken place.
Israel has expanded its settlements in the West Bank. The humanitarian situation in the Israeli-besieged Gaza has been catastrophic for years. Under the current far-right Israeli government, raids have intensified and settler attacks on Palestinian villages have increased.
The UN and human rights organizations have condemned Israel on several occasions for, among other things, the excessive use of force.
In addition, many Palestinians see the Palestinian Authority as nothing more than a corrupt pawn of Israel. The lack of future prospects, political influence and security make, for example, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, appear as a worthy freedom fighter in the eyes of many Palestinians.
Because of all this, the attack is also understood in the West Bank.
– Israel attacks the Palestinians every day, every week, every month. Now Hamas responded to this, the 28-year-old Abdullah commented in Ramallah to .
Almost all Palestinians do not support Hamas or violence, but they too will suffer the consequences of Hamas’ bloodshed equally.
Hamas the attack has been characterized as a turning point and even compared to Israel in its importance to the September 11 attacks to New York in 2001.
There are big things on the table now. In various analyses, Israel’s possible ground operation or even the occupation of the Gaza Strip flash. At the same time, we will monitor whether the situation in the West Bank escalates and whether, for example, the Iranian-backed extremist organization Hezbollah joins the Hamas operation from Lebanon.
Israel’s government, which pursues a tough security policy, will hardly spare ammunition. Hamas, on the other hand, has announced that it is ready for even the worst possible outcome.
What is certain is that civilians on both sides suffer the most from the violence. It is also certain that Israel is militarily superior compared to Hamas. It does not solve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Read the constantly updated monitoring of the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories.