Israel V.S. Hamas: The Ongoing Conflict Explained
Note from the author: The following article is a developing story. This article is merely a representation of fact, without any personal opinion.
You may have seen the headlines: Oct 7th, unprecedented attacks on Israel by Hamas, Israel strikes back at the Gaza Strip. It has caused an uproar of response from a lot of countries. The United States voiced its support for Israel from Day 1, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, and the Iranian Foreign Minister had said for Israel to stop attacking Gaza or face the consequences. But you may have been wondering why. It’s good you asked. Today, we’re looking at this topic, which has dominated the world’s attention for the past few days.
The Players In This War
Hamas and Israel are enemies of each other. The former is an Islamic militant group founded in 1987, widely designated as a terrorist group and stands for the “Islamic Resistance Movement”. Using its strong military power, it took over the Gaza Strip in May of 2007 and has a long-term ambition to establish a Palestinian state, which there currently is none of. But one country stands in its way, Israel, which Hamas has vowed to destroy. The State of Israel (which, unlike Palestine, is a country) is a Jewish country officially established in 1948. Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean in the Middle East, countries like Lebanon and Jordan border it. It is famous for the old city of Jerusalem (which holds much religious importance) and infamous for the wars it has ignited with neighbouring Arab states.
A Complicated History
The Palestinians and the Israelis have a long-lasting history for thousands of years. Most of Israel’s ancient history is still in existence thanks to the Hebrew Bible. According to it, Israel’s origins can be traced back to Abraham, believed to be the father of both Judaism and Islam. It’s thought the Egyptians had enslaved his descendants for centuries. Then, Abraham’s descendants settled in Canaan (roughly the region of modern-day Israel). Following the arrow of time through history, the land of now Israel was occupied and ruled by groups including the Greeks, Arabs, Crusaders, Islamists and others.
With the height of WWI (1917), British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submitted a letter of intent pushing for a new Jewish state in Palestine. That was his attempt to rally more support for the Allies in the war. However, Arab countries opposed it because it would mean the takeover of Arab Palestinians. Later, in 1947, the United Nations approved a plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state, but the Arabs rejected it. It was only in 1948 that the Arab countries ceded, and Israel was officially declared an independent state. In the years following, although there have been many wars and conflicts over matters like who gets to occupy the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, Israel has managed to hold up strong.
Why Now?
After things finally started to cool down in the Middle East, it was out of the blue for Hamas to suddenly attack Israel, sparking another fiery conflict. Although it is still speculative, here are some reasons why Hamas had chosen to strike.
On one hand, Hamas may be trying to push forward Palestinian independence. Saudi Arabia - Israel normalization is a matter dominating the stage. If achieved, it would be an earthquake-like change in the region. Saudi Arabia had formerly pledged not to recognize Israel unless it granted Palestine independence. With that in the back of people’s minds, the terrorist group tries to capture the world’s attention and maybe bring the topic back to the negotiating table. Although it is uncertain whether Hamas’ actions will put Palestinian independence on the regional agenda, it has certainly captured the eyeballs of everyone around the globe.
On the other hand, people believe it is also a demonstration of the military power Hamas has amassed over the years. Hamas launched the offensive from the densely populated but poor region of the Gaza Strip, which has very few resources to support the fierce Hamas attacks. The question of how Hamas managed to arm itself with the vast armoury of weapons such as ammunition, intelligent bomb-dropping drones, and more under constant tight Israeli surveillance is anyone’s guess. However, analysts and experts believe that Iranian aid, both economically and physically, is the main answer to it.
Hamas leaders say the Israeli crackdown on militants in the West Bank and Israel’s ongoing blockade of Gaza had pushed them to launch the attack.
These three (possible) reasons for the Hamas attack demonstrate just how dissatisfied and frustrated the organization is with the current situation of the Gaza Strip arrangement.
More Could Have Gotten Done
In hindsight, many believe an intelligence failure on the Israeli side contributed to the many fatalities. The military had failed to recognize the threat sooner until it was too late to prevent it, and when it was too late, the army was nowhere to be seen. To visualize it more fully, let’s cut it into three parts.
Firstly, at the border with Gaza. In the past, one breach of the border wall was considered a high-security alert, and a response would get implemented. However, this wasn’t the case this time, as the Israeli military failed to detect multiple border breakthroughs by Hamas, including Hamas bulldozers ploughing through the concrete. If the Israelis had been more responsive, it could have stopped Hamas ground troops before they even got in.
Secondly is the Iron Dome. Israel’s military is known for this sophisticated anti-missile defence system. But this time, the Iron Dome system failed to anticipate and act against the large barrage of more than 3000 Hamas rockets out of nowhere. To understand why, let’s dissect the Iron Dome system. It operates in three sections. Radars detect incoming missiles (their trajectory, speed, and whether they are heading for densely populated civilian areas). Then, the control centre receives that information, calculating how to intercept the incoming rockets and sends a command to the ready-to-fire ground-to-air defence missile units. And that’s when we can see the Iron Dome with our eyes, which looks like a magnificent but deadly fireworks show. Although we don’t know for sure, the radars may have been overwhelmed with the number of missiles heading their way, and the system had gotten overloaded.
Thirdly, was the question that many Israelis were asking when Hamas infiltrated the border with Israel: “Where was the army?” Although it is a long story, it correlates to where Israel had directed its attention over the years. The United Nations declaration that declared Israeli independence split the region of land into an Arab state and a Jewish state, with the Jewish state (Israel) getting much more. However, Israel has been trying to absorb the Palestinian land by developing these Israeli “settlements.” The deal for the Israelis moving in was that the army would protect them, and that’s the third reason why Israel failed to prevent the Hamas attacks.
Hamas V.S. The Israeli Counter-Offensive
It’s obvious the Israelis got pissed by the Hamas offensive and launched their own in response. Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to destroy Hamas and has more-or-less kept his word, which can get seen in the “forceful” Israeli counter-offensive. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced a substantial victory, saying they had killed one of the Hamas’ senior commanders, Ali Qadhi, in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. These airstrikes on Gaza also demonstrate the power of the Israeli military, with one missile levelling an entire high-rise building, as seen in a video shot at the scene. However, Hamas is pushing back with its firepower, and currently, the two enemies are bombing the other constantly, with the answer to who will win this war still unclear.
Conclusion
Multiple reasons, including history and political background, have resulted in the Israel-Hamas conflict. And looking at the ongoing situation, it doesn’t seem the war is ending anytime soon. What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments. That’s the end of this production from the New News Newsminute. Thank you for reading, and tune in next time for more news updates.