Hamas attacks, Israel rises to the occasion Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

Hamas militants started shelling Israel from the Gaza Strip this morning. Several thousand rockets have already been fired at Israeli cities. The militants also entered Israeli settlements and took hostages. The group said it aims to establish a Palestinian state. The Israel Defence Forces launched a counter-terrorist operation "Iron Swords" in the Gaza Strip.

Caliber.Az asked Israeli experts to comment on the situation in Israel.

Political scientist Yuri Bocharov first of all confirmed that early Saturday morning sirens wailed almost all over Israel and several cities of the country were subjected to massive rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. A little later, Hamas declared war on Israel.

"Air-raid sirens are sounding in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Tel Aviv, Holon and other regions. The Iron Dome missile defence system is in operation. Several citizens of the country have already died under rocket attacks, and dozens of wounded have been taken to the nearest hospitals," Bocharov said.

As is known, at the same time, several sabotage groups from the Gaza Strip entered the territory of Israel, breaking through the fence, and barricaded themselves in residential houses in Ofakim, Netivot and Sderot, where battles are currently taking place.

"The IDF command has announced an anti-terrorist operation 'Iron Swords'. It is reported that the Israeli army is preparing to repel attacks not only in the south but also in the north of the country, apparently expecting Hamas to be supported by Hezbollah fighters.

It is worth noting that the current events and the possibility of Hezbollah's intervention are very real, and are links in the same chain that stretches back to Iran, which has long nurtured plans to draw Israel into a military conflict on virtually three sides. In recent times, the IDF has launched a number of airstrikes against Iranian convoys attempting to deliver missiles for Hezbollah to both Syria and Lebanon. In principle, Israel has repeatedly worked out plans for an active response to Hezbollah in the event of a rocket attack, and even including a ground operation inside Lebanon. It is difficult to predict how far events will go now. But we must admit that so far they are developing according to a negative scenario," Bocharov said.

Rostislav Goltsman, a journalist and publicist, head of the International Relations Commission of the Union of Journalists of Israel, believes that the war that began was expected. And the reason for it is banal - Hamas needs money.

"It is well known that the sponsor of Hamas is the Ayatollah regime. But the fact is that this organisation has become something of a bone of contention between the Saudis and the Iranians, as the Saudi king and Tehran compete for the right to be considered the leading state in the region.

Representatives of the Palestinian Authority's political forces, Fatah led by Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, were invited to an audience with King Salman to determine who would become Palestinian president. During the consultations, it was decided that Mahmoud Abbas would remain president. However, the Hamas representatives' visit to King Salman seriously angered Tehran, which did not fail to make it clear to the organisation's leadership that it was now in disgrace. Subsequently, this resulted, for example, in the fact that only Islamic Jihad was invited to the next high-level consultations of the Ayatollah regime with representatives of terrorist groups, while only Iranian intelligence officers met with Hamas representatives. In essence, the leaders of the organisation were made to understand that they had blundered and must atone for their guilt. And there is only one demand - an attack on Israel. And not just some rocket attacks, but full-scale actions from the air, sea and land at the same time. That is what the leadership of the terrorist organisation has promised," the political analyst points out.

But Hamas, Goltsman notes, has been dragging its feet on this promise for a long time, because they remember well the lessons Israel taught them two years ago, and they have constantly postponed the date of the attack, trying to tie it to some symbolic event important to Jews. There were, it is true, attempts to unleash the conflict, but they were quickly suppressed by the IDF.

"And so Hamas timed its current attack to coincide with the anniversary of the Doomsday War or October War, and it was essentially the last deadline Tehran allowed them to reach. Of course, the aggression is full-scale: very dense fire, almost five thousand rockets fired at Israel in three hours. Not everywhere our missile defence systems coped, there were missile drops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. But the worst thing is that the front was broken through - the militants broke into Ofakim, Netivot, Sderot and some kibbutzim. Unfortunately, there are many dead, their number is still being specified. However, Israel is ready to take the punch - our forces are regrouping and a counter-strike is being prepared. The Israeli Air Force is already bombarding the positions of militants in the Gaza Strip - the response will be powerful and the enemy will be thrown back. But, of course, it is always terrible to experience the state of war once again, especially on the day of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah, The Joy of the Torah," says Goltsman.