Israeli media seemed shocked by the Palestinian Resistance attack against Israeli targets. It will take a long time to process what has taken place on Saturday morning.
The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Times of Israel, and Ynet News placed much focus on the support Israel is receiving from Western leaders and governments, particularly the United States.
The Jerusalem Post seems to have figured out Hamas’ main objective behind the timing and the nature of the attack: making the decision regarding when to start and how to end the war.
The Palestinian resistance has launched a major operation inside of Israel. This is the first time in history that such an event takes place. This is what happened. Full video at TikTok #Israel #Gaza #Palestine #Military #War #BreakingNews #Viral #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/aOB2Le6Pzi
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) October 7, 2023
JERUSALEM POST: Hamas Dictating ‘Tempo of Conflict’
Under the title “Israel is in a state of war,” Seth J. Frantzman asked the question, “How did we get here?”
“In the past conflicts with Gaza often went through stages, with a slow build up of tensions. For instance back in 2008 before Operation Cast Lead there was increasing rocket fire from Gaza.
“In many operations it was Israel that dictated the tempo of the conflict, launching strikes in Gaza in 2012 or 2019, with Operations Pillar of Cloud and Black Belt. In 2014 the conflict also began with tensions in the West Bank after the kidnapping and murder of three Israelis. The ten day conflict in 2021 also began with tensions in Jerusalem.
“The attacks this morning were unprecedented in their size and their extent. Hamas has tried infiltrations before, but the Gaza border fence and security have generally prevented those attempts.
“Hamas has also tried to use rioters as cover for threats. However, even though Hamas had instigated some riots over the last month, there was no evidence that this was a slow drumbeat towards a wider war.
“In fact overall the Iranian-backed proxies such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah had been relatively quiet in their over threats and activity in recent days. This was a lull before the storm.
“Today the storm has broken. While it remains to be seen how this attack will continue to unfold and what Israel’s overall response will be, it is clear that Hamas and terror groups in Gaza have sought to dictate the tempo of the conflict, attempting to wrest that decision from Israel.”
🎥 Israeli occupation army evacuates its air bases near the #Gaza Strip as resistance fighters begin to approach them.
FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG: https://t.co/sU4Q8VJjo7 pic.twitter.com/oMNAbHZUFy
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 7, 2023
HAARETZ: On American Condemnation of the Resistance
Reporting for Haaretz, Ben Samuel wrote:
“Members of both the Republican and Democratic Party, at the polar ends of the political spectrum, have unequivocally come out in defense of Israel, condemning Hamas’ actions while stressing Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Several Republican presidential candidates, along with some Republican members of Congress, have begun to attack the Biden administration for supposedly financially appeasing Iran and empowering Hamas.
“‘Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden administration,’ said former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“‘We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again,” he added.”
THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: A ‘Colossal Failure’
Reporting for The Times of Israel, David Horovitz wrote:
“Much of Israel was awakened on Saturday morning to scarcely conceivable scenes and sounds of rocket attacks, and parts of southern Israel to gunfire, with the accompanying unthinkable news that dozens of terrorists had infiltrated from Gaza.
“Precisely 50 years after the Yom Kippur War, Israel was under surprise attack — not by Arab armies, but by the Hamas terrorist group. And with Israeli civilians widely and directly targeted.
“Amid the limitations of censorship, there was reported to be ‘considerable concern’ regarding the possibility of soldiers and/or civilians being kidnapped and taken back to Gaza. Repeated Hebrew media reports spoke of Hamas gunmen at IDF bases and positions.
“The very mechanics of reporting what was unfolding were complicated by the endless alerts about ongoing rocket fire, with residents of dozens upon dozens of towns and other residential areas ordered into saferooms.”
Palestinian Resistance Launch Major Attack on Israel: What Happened? – LIVE BLOG
YNETNEWS: ‘Blindsided by Hamas’
Reporting for YnetNews, Yossi Yehushua wrote:
“It cannot be understated or put in less severe terms: The IDF, the strongest military in the Middle East and one of the most respected worldwide was caught completely by surprise in the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday.
“The blow to Israel from Hamas, which is still not fully revealed when these words are being written, showed the terror group’s rouge, beginning two weeks ago when the Gaza rulers sent demonstrators to the border with Israel. After the government approved resuming the entrance of workers from Gaza into Israel, the military thought the situation along the border had been contained. Hamas fooled the IDF into complacency.
“Such as (sic) offensive takes planning and time to prepare and professionalism to execute. But most of all it requires daring which Hamas had never before exhibited.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
