(Dan Tri) – When launching a sophisticated and unexpected attack campaign against Israel, the armed movement Hamas attempted to create new regional security links to reorganize the security structure throughout the Middle East.
The scene after a mass invasion by gunmen of the Hamas armed movement in Sderot, southern Israel on October 7 (Photo: Reuters).
The coordinated attack campaign on October 7 by the armed movement Hamas, the largest attack on Israel in decades, occurred at the same time as the US supported activities to push Saudi Arabia towards peace.
The US aim is to exchange for a defense agreement between Washington and Riyadh, a move that would help prevent the kingdom from moving closer to Iran.
Palestinian officials and a source in the region said that through this attack campaign, Hamas wants to send a message that if Israel wants to ensure security in the region, it cannot ignore Palestine and that no matter what, if Israel wants to ensure security in the region, it cannot ignore Palestine.
Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas, declared on Al Jazeera television: `All the normalization agreements that you (Arab countries) have signed with (Israel) will not end this conflict.`
A source close to Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in the region added: `This is a message to Saudi Arabia, which is moving towards Israel, and to the Americans who support normalization and
Also according to the source: `What happened exceeded all expectations. Today is a turning point in the conflict.`
The Hamas offensive launched from the Gaza Strip follows months of rising violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, with stepped-up attacks by Tel Aviv, street attacks by Palestinians and riots.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Israel both said they were moving closer to an agreement to normalize relations.
Laura Blumenfeld, a Middle East analyst at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, said Hamas may have been angry because it felt it was facing injustice in its efforts to move forward.
`When the armed movement Hamas saw Israel and the Arabs getting closer to an agreement, they decided they needed to do something,` she said.
Time of attack
Mr. Osama Hamdan, leader of the armed movement Hamas in Lebanon, said that the attack on October 7 will make Arab countries realize that accepting Israel’s security demands will not bring peace.
`For those who want stability and peace in the region, the starting point must be an end to the Israeli occupation. Unfortunately, some (Arab countries) have begun to imagine that Israel could be
Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to `strongly avenge this dark day` in response to the attack, which occurred on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Israel was attacked by Egyptian forces and
But reflecting on the timing of the 1973 war, Hamas official Ali Baraka said of the October 7 attack: `It was necessary for the movement’s leadership to make a decision at the appropriate time, when
He further emphasized that the air, land and sea attack was `a shock to the enemy and proves that Israeli military intelligence did not detect this activity`, after Tel Aviv, which itself
In the years since 1973, Egypt has signed a peace treaty with Israel, and several other Arab countries have also normalized relations since then, including several Gulf Arab states in addition to Saudi Arabia.
Although it may not have been the main reason for the armed movement of Hamas to attack Israel, their actions were a clear warning to Arab countries that the Palestinian issue cannot be just another side topic.
A senior official in US President Joe Biden’s administration said that `it is too early to speculate` about the impact that the Israel-Hamas conflict could have on efforts towards normalizing relations.
Mr. Netanyahu has previously stated that Palestine is not allowed to veto any new Israeli peace agreement with Arab countries.
