Tensions in the Middle East escalated this Saturday (6) when the Islamic Palestinian political group Hamas launched a surprise and unprecedented attack against Israel. The military commander of the armed movement, Muhammad Al Deif, called for a “general uprising” against the Israeli state and declared that “this is the time to use weapons.” The attack is dubbed the “AlAqsa Storm” and refers to a mosque whose access was blocked by Israel. The attack is a response by Palestinians to the oppression they face at the hands of the Israelis as they expropriate their territory. Hamas demands Release of his political prisoners and the end of the occupation.
“The Palestinian people and their resistance are conducting an operation to defend the people, the land and the holy sites.”says a statement released by the group.
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Hamas claims to have fired 5,000 rockets and missiles in Israeli cities and entered the country by land, sea and air with hundreds of armed men, leading to an outbreak Immediate response from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who mobilized soldiers and declared a “war alert.” At least the arguments have disappeared 532 dead between the two parties to the conflict, in addition to thousands of injuries.
In order to better understand the consequences and implications of this conflict, the report by Forum spoke with Reginaldo Nasser, Professor of International Relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUCSP) and author of “New Perspectives on International Conflicts” (Unesp).
“This attack was a surprise considering that Hamas normally carried out more limited military actions, such as firing rockets. “This time, however, they surprised the Israeli forces,” says the professor, referring to Hamas gunmen’s infiltrations into Israeli territory that once belonged to the Palestinians.
Nasser also points to political movements that preceded the escalation of tensions between Palestine and Israel.
“There is a recent development in the United States’ relationship with Israel that also involves Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, one of the most important countries in the Middle East, was one of the last to not abide by the Abraham Accords, an initiative by the United States and Israel. In other words, with this action, this articulation will be difficult.”
The professor goes on to highlight Israel’s actions in recent weeks that may have motivated the Hamas attack.
“Israel has officially announced the occupation of territories in Palestine, including southern Jordan, an area previously recognized as Palestinian. The political goal of the Hamas attack appears to be to prevent or put these actions on hold,” he explains.
Critical situation in Gaza
“Gaza is one of the worst humanitarian situations in the world. It is surrounded by land, sea and air and 2 million inhabitants live in a densely populated area. Food insecurity is extremely high, at 7580%. There is strict control over the entry of food. This is an unfortunate situation,” emphasizes Reginaldo Nasser
“I say it is the only situation in the world where, in the face of war, you have no option to seek refuge because you have nowhere to go. Anyone who doesn’t fight has to stay there. So, “It’s a desperate situation. Now it’s bad to get Hamas’ actions out of control,” the expert further analyzes.
As for Israel’s likely response to the Hamas attack, Nasser warns that violence in the region could reach unprecedented levels.
“Israel’s reaction will be violent and very severe. There are many reports of civilian deaths, which could increase public support for more aggressive actions. Israel has a majority in parliament and the population is likely to support tougher measures in response to this attack.”
Terrorist action?
Regarding the classification of Hamas as terrorist organizationReginaldo Nasser believes that such an error also applies to the action this Saturday “completely inappropriate”since the group is currently a political organization that has actually launched a military operation against the siege of its territory.
“Can you see it. Political actors can change throughout history and take on different faces. Hamas carried out several terrorist attacks in its early days. Hamas has distinguished itself as a political entity. So much so that she ran for elections in Palestine and won the Gaza election in front of an international observer. If a political actor in power wins the election and fires a missile at another country, you can condemn the action, you can disagree, etc. But it is not terrorism which several states in the world have done. Hamas has not carried out a terrorist action for a long time.”
According to the professor of international relations, the Hamas attack represents a “military action” that is “justified.”
“Because it’s resistance. After all, Hamas controls the territory and the territory is that which is surrounded. There is a way to classify terrorism based on the actors. For example, Hezbollah is said to be terrorism. Hezbollah carried out terrorism” when he started. Hezbollah has not committed terror in 30 years. Hamas hasn’t carried out an attack in a long time either. Instead of judging and evaluating the actions, they did it [Israel, EUA e parte da imprensa] Eternally rate the actor.
“Everything Hamas does is classified as terrorist. That does not matter. But it’s not true. As I said, Hamas even has a political presence abroad. This is completely inappropriate.” [classificar o ataque como terrorismo]. But we know the goal of it. “The United States and Israel are justifying their military and economic actions,” concludes Reginaldo Nasser.