As Hamas officials noted, continued and growing Israeli violence against Palestinians and the disrespect to holy sites of Palestine were among the chief reasons why Hamas attacked Israel.
The war between Hamas and Israel that started this Saturday is getting more violent, especially due to continuous Israeli airstrikes at the civilian site in Gaza. Although it seems Hamas started the bloody clash this Saturday morning by launching thousands of missiles to Israel, the reason for the war should be traced in the way the Netanyahu government has been treating Palestinians since coming to power early this year.
When Netanyahu was designated as Prime Minister of Israel back in September last year, he formed a new coalition government mostly consisting of far-right ministers, nearly all of whom are famous for their anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab policies and rhetoric.
Since early this year when the ministers of the new government in Israel started their job, they have violated Palestinians’ rights and disrespected their holy beliefs on many occasions.
These policies range from unprecedented increase in illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories by the Israeli forces, breaking into the Al-Aqsa Mosque by ministers and military forces of Israel, and increase in random violence against Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It should be pointed out that in retaliation for Hamas attacks, Israel has carried out several deadly airstrikes in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians.
How Israel raged the fire of war since early 2023
Back in June, for example, the Defense Ministry of Israel announced plans to build more than 5,000 new settlement homes in the occupied territories. This is while the international community considers settlement construction illegal and an obstacle to peace. More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – territories captured by Israel in 1967.
“The Netanyahu government is moving forward with its aggression and open war against the Palestinian people,” said Wasel Abu Yousef, a Palestinian official in the occupied West Bank, adding also that “we affirm all settler colonialism in all the occupied Palestinian territories as illegitimate and illegal.”
Israel’s new government has been so reckless in denying the rights of Palestinians that even the US, Israel’s number-one ally, is now critical of Netanyahu and his far-right coalition.
In July, when Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Washington was among the first who condemned the move. One day after Ben-Gvir’s controversial visit to the holy mosque, the US Embassy in Jerusalem reacted and said that “the US stands firm in preserving the historical status quo in relation to the holy sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action or rhetoric that endangers the status quo is unacceptable.”
Israeli forces also carried out a full-scale raid earlier this year against Palestinian worshippers at the mosque. Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank also has seen an uptick, with random inspections, arrest, and imprisonments of Palestinians increased at a worrying pace.
Since Hamas came to power in Gaza back in 2007, Israel has avoided large-scale, sustained ground operations there, despite calls by Israeli politicians for action during past crises. however, the policies of the Netanyahu government seem to have left Hamas no choice but to stand against the violent and inhumane status quo that the far-right coalition in Israel has created for Palestinians.
Explaining the reason for the Saturday attack against Israel, Hamas spokesperson referred to the same topics and giving a broad rationale for the attack, noted that “we want the international community to stop supporting the atrocities of the Israeli government in Gaza, against Palestinian people, and against our holy sites like the Al-Aqsa Mosque. All these things are the reasons behind starting this battle against Israel.”
