How Hamas attack on Israel sparked events that could overwhelm the Middle East
Israelis have nicknamed 7 October the ‘Black Sabbath’. Since the Hamas attack in 2023, events in the Middle East have spiralled out of control with Israel now fighting a war on seven fronts that threatens to overwhelm the Middle East.
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00:00After the shock of Hamas's massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government
00:08went well beyond its reiterated retaliation doctrine and hit deep to free the hostages
00:14and root out Hamas.
00:17Has Israel achieved its objectives?
00:21After months of harsh fighting, in early summer the IDF took control of the Philadelphia Corridor,
00:26a highly strategic line route stretching along the border between Gaza and Egypt in
00:32the Rafah area.
00:33The IDF's deployment on the Philadelphia line created a strategic connection between
00:38Gaza and South Lebanon, provoking Hezbollah attacks.
00:42At the same time, Israel needs the Philadelphia Corridor to cut the supply line for the Palestinians
00:47and clear Hamas's militant tunnels.
00:50Caught by surprise on October 7 last year, Israel suffered one of the deadliest terrorist
00:55attacks in its history, and the first invasion of its national territory since 1948.
01:02Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups from Gaza attacked Israeli territory from sky,
01:07sea and land, killing 1,195 people, 815 of whom were civilians, and abducting 251.
01:16It was a so-called multi-domain attack, which in the eyes of Israel was a typical Iranian
01:21operational concept.
01:23On the same day, the Israeli cabinet launched Operation Sword of Iron, with the immediate
01:28objective of kicking Palestinian attackers out of Israeli territory and freeing hostages,
01:34and the long-term goal of ending Hamas.
01:38One year on, fierce urban fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, 7,500 of
01:44whom were children.
01:47Hospitals, schools and other facilities have been destroyed, and 800 IDF members have lost
01:53their lives.
01:56On July 31, an Israeli attack in Tehran killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and liberated
02:02more than 100 hostages, but more than 70 were reportedly killed.
02:07Yet Hamas has not been eradicated.
02:10Israel's government is concerned by the fact that Hamas could conquer the West Bank too.
02:17The fact that there are no elections there is a sign of the fear that extremists like
02:24Hamas might take over the West Bank as well.
02:28Clearly, the answer is not an indiscriminate Israeli settlement.
02:35West Bank Palestinians have been denouncing the increasing number of Israeli ultra-nationalist
02:39settlements being created in their territories.
02:42For the mostly moderates, their exasperation could favor Hamas' strategy of taking the
02:47West Bank.