As the extent of the horrors of Hamas’s incursion into Israeli territory, which left at least 1,200 dead and more than 2,700 injured, is discovered, Tel Aviv and Washington are comparing the organization that has controlled Gaza since 2007 to the Islamic State. could be an attempt to prepare public opinion for the military response that is already underway and still to come. In Tel Aviv, the formation of a national unity government was confirmed, as the military operation against Hamas gains momentum and the possibility of a second war front against Hezbollah is not neglected.
Israelis are shocked by the Hamas infiltration of their territory and the list of horrors that resulted, but also by the sympathy for the terrorist organization in the West. “The outpouring of support for the Nazi-style massacre is shocking,” a former Israeli government official told DN. Perhaps for this reason, the comparison of Hamas with Islamic State (IS) keeps recurring. Upon leaving for Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “this kind of depravity has not been seen since the Islamic State.”
The day before, Joe Biden had compared the “brutality and bloodlust of Hamas” to the “worst crimes of IS” in his speech, but it was the Israeli prime minister who first made the comparison. “Hamas is the Islamic State and we will defeat them just as the enlightened world defeated ISIS. This vile enemy wanted war and will get it,” Benjamin Netanyahu declared.
Another piece fell into place over Israel’s declared war on Hamas on Wednesday, when an emergency government of national unity was formed, which also included Benny Gantz, former defense minister and once the man who presented himself as an alternative to Netanyahu. In addition to Gantz, the deputy and former head of the armed forces Gadi Eisenkot, the former Minister of Justice Gideon Sa’ar, the former Minister of Culture Chili Tropper and the former Minister of Education Yifat Shasha-Biton. The five will join the government and security cabinet, while the so-called war cabinet will be reserved for Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The controversial judicial reform will not be adopted during the term of the National Unity Government. This is guaranteed in the clauses of the agreement with Benny Gantz. When Netanyahu announced the formation of an emergency administrator to citizens, he did not go into details about how the country will respond, but again compared Hamas to the Islamic State, saying there is evidence that soldiers have been beheaded, children killed by gunfire, women raped and other people burned alive. “Every member of Hamas is a dead man,” he threatened.
Regarding the news released the day before during journalists’ visit to the Kfar Aza kibbutz that 40 babies had been killed, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AFP that “at this time” information has been provided by the i24 News chain. there is no confirmation of any number. During the visit, the army told journalists that between 100 and 150 people had been killed there and a soldier mentioned the existence of mutilated bodies and beheadings, but gave no further details.
A Sky News reporter claims to have never seen so much war material in the same location, referring to northern Gaza, as well as troops arriving in large numbers in the region, alongside bulldozers, which could be a sign of the rumors of a land invasion . . A chapter that according to The economistHamas believes that Israel does not have the conditions to emerge victorious.
In addition to Gaza, a second front with Hezbollah could be opened. “We do not want to see an escalation in the north, but if a war on two fronts is imposed on us, we will not be surprised,” Netanyahu’s adviser Mark Regev assured Sky News.
The United States and Britain once again showed their full support for Israel – as did the European institutions – by joining key leaders at the entrance to the European Parliament. Secretary of State James Cleverly felt firsthand what the Israelis were experiencing because they had to flee when the sirens sounded. “The threat of Hamas rockets hangs over every Israeli man, woman and child. That is why we stand side by side with Israel,” he said afterwards.
The British are succeeded today by the American Blinken, when the United States indicated a day earlier that it is prepared to deploy a second aircraft carrier in the region if necessary, but also that it is “actively working” to provide a passage for citizens to open outside. of Gaza. The head of diplomacy will also visit Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 87, who remains silent.
It was from the Secretary General of NATO, among Western leaders and leaders, that words of warning were heard. “I obviously hope that when we see the Israeli response, it will be proportionate. It is important that as this conflict continues, we do everything possible to prevent the loss of innocent civilian lives,” said Jens Stoltenberg.
The stealthy commander who planned the attacks
The commander of Hamas’s armed wing, born Mohammad Masri in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in 1965, the son of a manufacturer of sheets and blankets, chose the nom de guerre Mohammed Deif after joining the Islamist movement during the first Intifada, which started in 1987.
He is said to have studied physics, biology and chemistry at the Islamic University of Gaza, knowledge he may have applied to the development of the terrorist group’s tunnel network or bomb development. Israel considers him responsible for the deaths of dozens of people in suicide bombings. He was arrested by Israel and repeatedly by the Palestinian Authority in 1989-1990 as commander of the al-Qassam brigades. After the second Intifada broke out in December 2000, he escaped from a Palestinian prison.
Two years later, already considered a myth among his own people, he escaped an execution attempt by the Israelis when he fled the car he was driving that was the target of three missiles fired from helicopters. Since then he has escaped a total of seven attacks, but not unscathed: he has lost the sight in one eye and one of his legs has also been seriously injured. His wife, three-year-old daughter and seven-month-old son were killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2014, and now the father’s home was also targeted, killing a brother and two other relatives.
A source told Reuters that Deir began planning revenge in May 2021, following an Israeli raid on the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. “The reason for this was scenes and images of Israel storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, beating worshipers, attacking them and dragging old and young people out of the mosque. All this fueled the anger,” the source said. She explained that the decision was made jointly with the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar, but that Deir is the mastermind of an operation that she guarantees Iran only knew would exist. A bit like Deir himself, who says that those who know him “live in the shadows”.
Source: DN
