The merciless killing of civilians, whether by Hamas rockets or Israeli airstrikes are criminal offences in the eyes of international law. But, more than condemning Hamas’s attack launched on Shabbat and Simchat Torah, we must condemn Israel for its decades of military occupation and brutal violence that have been the breeding ground of counter-violence, writes Harsh Thakor.
The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip on October 6 (Saturday) unleashed an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak, firing thousands of rockets towards Israel as dozens of Hamas fighters penetrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
A literal bolt out of the blue, like a tiger coming out of an ambush, the attack constitutes one of the most spectacular resistance actions in the history of Hamas. A mortal blow or tremors were created in the Israeli camp. It was no strange coincidence that the Hamas operation was launched exactly 50 years after the advent of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, thus resurrecting history. The action was a reflection or manifestation of merciless oppression subjected on Palestinian population by the bloodthirsty state of Israel.
Report
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by most Western countries, fired 5000 homemade rockets into Israel cities and towns; simultaneously, its fighters launched first-of-its-character ground assault in Israeli history; killing over 50 Israelis; capturing about 57 Israeli soldiers and armed Israeli settlers; and taking over control of Erez crossing between Gaza Strip and Israel after killing many Israeli soldiers there. Their homemade rockets flew over a distance of 75 kilometres and struck various targets in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv. It is important to recall that after 6 years of captivity, HAMAS released one single Israeli soldier in exchange for 1035 Palestinian prisoners in 2014. This is how mortal the blow for today’s 50+ Israeli prisoners captive in the hands of Hamas is for the Israeli army in general and Prime Minister Mr Netanyahu in particular!
The death toll escalated to 200 in the Hamas militant group’s intrusion in southern Israel, according to Zaka, Israel’s national rescue service, making it the most lethal attack in Israel in decades. Zaka says an additional 1,100 people were wounded in the attack Saturday that took Israel by surprise.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported injuries among “many citizens” without giving numbers and loudspeakers on mosques broadcast prayers of mourning for killed militants.
The Israeli military confirmed Saturday that Hamas militants are holding Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage in Gaza. The military did not declare the number of persons taken hostage. The attack began with an early-dawn rocket attack that lasted for nearly half an hour. Thousands of rockets were launched from inside Gaza, some travelling as far as Tel Aviv, causing widespread damage. Next came an invasion from Hamas militants who had infiltrated Israel in at least seven locations. In the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, just 2.5 miles from the Gaza Strip, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued even hours after the initial attack.
In an operation of incredible intensity, Hamas gunmen stormed into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 15 miles from the Gaza border.
Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled leader of Hamas, said that Palestinian fighters were “engaged in these historic moments in a heroic operation” to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
At least 100 Israelis have been killed, over 900 wounded. Dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians are missing and Hamas is claiming that they have been held as hostages. The Health Ministry in Gaza is reporting around 200 Palestinians eliminated by Israeli air strikes and over 1,600 injured and this number is likely to escalate considerably in the coming days. Among the strikes that Israel has already undertaken, was the bombing of the tall Palestine Tower in Gaza City, which houses media institutions, offices, as well as apartments.
Provocation of Israel
The merciless killing of civilians, whether by Hamas rockets or Israeli airstrikes are criminal offences in the eyes of international law. Equally unpardonable are the actions of Israel that provoked this current war, be it decades of military occupation with no sign of withdrawal, apartheid policies, recurrent massacres, and converting Gaza into an open-air prison on earth.
To call Hamas’s actions “unprovoked,” as the White House stated in a statement, is to bury one’s head in the mud, ignoring decades of settlement building, land confiscation, arrest of children, demolition of homes, as well as recent settler and military violence on Palestinians. Just one day before the advent of this current conflict the Israeli military patronised an extremist Israeli program in the West Bank village of Huwara, causing the death of a 16-year-old Palestinian child.
In short, more than condemning Hamas’s attack launched on Shabbat and Simchat Torah, we must condemn Israel for its decades of merciless human rights violations that have been the breeding ground of counter-violence.
Sadly, world opinion and international media is completely inclined towards support for Israel, with very few understanding the offensive in light of the merciless oppression unleashed by the Zionists on the Palestinian population. No nation is condemning the role of Israel in enticing such a reprisal.
International democrats must be wary of a massive retaliatory operation to break the backbone of any Palestinian resurgence and elevate the hegemony of Zionism. International opinion must be built up to check it.
China has called for an immediate ceasefire after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his country was “at war” following the unexpected attack by Hamas militants. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, “Beijing was deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between Palestine and Israel.” “All parties concerned exercise calm and restraint, to cease fire immediately, to protect the civilian population and to prevent further deterioration of the situation,” the statement added.
Background of recent attacks of Israel and Palestinian retaliation
From September 22nd to 29th the State of Israel has carried out numerous attacks, especially in the Gaza Strip as well as the occupied West Bank. In this area a young man was killed in Jenin and two other young men were killed in Tulkarem. Another Palestinian youth has also succumbed from injuries sustained in the explosion in Gaza on 13th of September.
Since the night of Friday 22nd of September, at least five drone bombings and missile attacks have been reported on the Gaza Strip. These attacks are principally to dislodge Hamas’s defensive and surveillance positions. The attacks on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip are made frequently, not only to try to extinguish the Palestinian resistance, but also to demoralise Palestinian people by making them suffer to the last straw. Recently the State of Israel mercilessly attacked Palestinian fishermen and prevented Palestinian workers from going to work in Israel. After the heroic struggle of the people in the Strip, they were forced to reopen the borders and permit Palestinian workers to return to their jobs.
Palestinian resistance has continued to shimmer, braving all odds. Earlier this month, there were joint military exercises of several organizations of the Palestinian National Resistance Movement in the Gaza Strip. While the Israeli offensive is escalating in the Gaza Strip, several Palestinian organizations have met in Beirut to knit more cohesive coordination.
Earlier deputy Secretary-General of the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Jamil Mezher, confirmed in an interview with Al Mayadeen on Sunday that for the Palestinian factions it was imperative to elevate resistance in the West Bank. Mezher asserted that consolidating battlefront unity is important to protect resistance fighters against the occupation, pointing out that the settlement path has only reversed fortunes of their people.”
He said that the resistance fighters need insulation from Israeli aggression and the policy of assassinations, noting that the Israeli enemy believes that through undertaking raids and arrests in the West Bank, it can subvert the resistance.”
He expressed optimism declaring all attempts by the Israeli enemy in the West Bank to fail, as hundreds of young people are integrating with the resistance forces, performing operations that confuse the Israeli enemy on a daily basis.
Mezher stressed that the qualitative and consistent development of the resistance infuses fresh elements in confronting the Israeli enemy. He stated that the prolonged resistance in the West Bank and its elevation and development could defeat the enemy.
(Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist. Inputs for this article taken from Al Jazeeera and Red Herald. Views expressed in the article are author’s own.)