The abduction of an elderly woman and Holocaust survivor. The 260 lifeless bodies strewn across the remnants of a music festival. The more than 700 people, mostly civilians, murdered, and as many as 100 reportedly taken hostage. “This is our 9/11 — they got us,” reflected an Israeli spokesperson.
The “they” in question is Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the UK, US and EU, which runs Gaza and initiated an operation whose aim appeared to be to kill as many civilians as possible. The attack, in both the timing and its nature, was a surprise. That the target was to inflict as much bloodshed as possible, was not.
Early on Saturday morning, almost exactly half a century on from the Yom Kippur War, in which Arab states launched a surprise attack against Israel, Hamas gunmen breached multiple points along the border with Gaza. A sophisticated operation in parts, many went door to door to find and murder men, women and children.
Fighting is still ongoing inside Israeli territory, while the focus is already turning to what is one of the greatest failures of intelligence in the history of the Jewish state. How could a seemingly well-fortified border be crossed so easily? How could the Israeli military have no idea of what was to come? How involved was Iran? Already, links are being made to the Islamic Republic, which funds Hamas as well as other terrorist groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The abhorrence of the weekend’s attacks makes the need for a lasting peace more urgent, yet it has never felt so distant. Israel has every right to defend itself from terrorism, and to protect its people from the thousands of rocket attacks fired indiscriminately into its territory. At the same time, we fear for civilians living in Gaza, who have nowhere else to go and no say over the government that rules over them. Meanwhile, the threat of a regional war looms large.
Abhorrent celebrations in London
The image of some Londoners, albeit small in number, celebrating the deaths of Israeli civilians is contemptible. A display of grotesque inhumanity from those fortunate enough to live in a city that guarantees their freedom. It is in that context that we must remain vigilant for any rise in anti-Semitic attacks. It is a sad reality that whenever conflict arises in the Middle East, Jewish Londoners face a rise in harassment, abuse and even violence.
Support for Palestinian statehood is not anti-Semitic. But attacks directed at Jewish people living thousands of miles away are, and do not aid a single Palestinian. It is right, if regrettable, that the Metropolitan Police has stepped up patrols across the capital to provide a visible police presence and reassure communities in London during what will be a terrifying time for many.
