The Hamas military offensive last Saturday has left Israeli society shocked and the Jewish state’s intelligence services with many questions to resolve. In an unprecedented operation, the Islamist militia managed to penetrate Israeli territory and for almost three days they faced the Israeli army in various parts of the south of the country. There are already more than 1,500 fatalities in this new war and, despite the fact that the walls of Gaza are once again sealed, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has assured that the reprisals have only just begun.
Hamas has undoubtedly caught the Israeli state off guard with this action. But, what are the reasons why the Islamist militia has decided to attack like this and at this time? Ismail Haniya, leader of the group that rules the Gaza Strip with an iron fist, has cited the Israeli government’s provocations at the Al Aqsa mosque and abuses against Palestinians as the main reason. But the memory of the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War and the possible agreement for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia could have been decisive when deciding when to attack.
