2023-10-09 14:49:09
LOOK: Attack in Israel LIVE | Latest news on the war declared following the Hamas offensive from Gaza
The assault surprised Israeli forces at 6:30 a.m. Backed by a barrage of rockets, hundreds of Hamas militants infiltrated several cities and Israeli Army headquarters and kidnapped soldiers and civilians, triggering retaliatory bombings in a war escalation that has already left more than 500 dead, exceeding 300 in Israeli territory, which also has 1,100 injured.
Israel has promised forcefulness and an unprecedented response to the Palestinian militias that attacked the country. In dialogue with El Comercio, Román Ortiz, a Spanish expert in international security, warns regarding the presence of dangerous actors involved who look at the new crisis with expectation.
— The attack took Israel by surprise and became the deadliest in 50 years. How hard is the blow to your forces?
This attack has hit Israel’s strategic culture. For historical reasons and the fact that it was a state built on the traumatic experience of the Nazi genocide, Israel is a country that has always given the highest priority to the protection of its citizens. In that context, having such a number of deaths in a single day is a catastrophe of major proportions.
—What does the attack mean for Hamas and the Palestinian militias?
This attack responds to several rationales. Immediately, it means for Hamas to recover the image of being an existential challenge to Israel’s security and to grow its prestige in the Middle East just when many Arab countries are getting closer to Israel. This campaign is a response from Hamas to try to regain strategic weight.
The attacks by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas once morest Israel left hundreds dead. (Photo: AP)
—What other actors take part in the dispute?
There are at least two more. Most directly involved is Iran, which continues its long-standing hostility toward Israel, including its historical support for Hezbollah in Lebanon. There is something important: the US was trying to thaw relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the latter is also a rival of Iran. Therefore, this is an attempt to boycott the rapprochement between Israelis and Saudis. We must not lose sight of Lebanon and Hezbollah, which has more missiles, more fighters and better trained members than Hamas and is under the mantle of Iran. Furthermore, Iran has an alliance with Russia, which is convenient for there to be a new focus of tension in the world.
— Netanyahu has declared Israel at war. What can be expected from the response of the Hebrew country?
At this moment the Israelis are trying to regain control over their territory and their border because a substantial part of the attacks were carried out by Palestinian infiltrators and cells hidden on Israeli soil. At the same time, they are trying to make it as difficult as possible for Hamas to continue carrying out operations, such as massive rocket bombardment. But this containment phase will surely give way to a phase of intervention in Gaza, which will cause much more violence.
Smoke rises following Israeli warplanes attacked the Palestine tower in Gaza City, on October 7, 2023. (EFE/EPA/MOHAMMED SABLE).
/ MOHAMMED KNOW
— What will be the objectives of the intervention?
First, destroy the capacity that Hamas has built up to be able to carry out such a massive attack on Israeli territory and, second, put enough military pressure on Hamas to deter them from carrying out another attack of such magnitude. This means that there will be a very big attempt to destroy the structure of the organization and neutralize other boundaries.
—How long can this new crisis last?
It is going to be a long process because the strategic model with which Israel tried to manage the scenario in Gaza has proven to be failed. Israel has tried to control Gaza from the outside, without maintaining a permanent and meaningful occupation inside Gaza, and that has not worked. The second problem is of an operational nature, intervening in Gaza is very complex. It is a densely organized area with a very large and concentrated population, extraordinarily hostile towards the Israelis. Hamas has built networks of tunnels throughout the territory and knows that the Israelis will respond to the attack, they are already waiting. All of this means that the Israeli forces must first design an intervention; they will need a long time to provide a response. We are not talking regarding something that is going to end immediately, it is going to drag on.
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