[Now we have better information from minutes of Hamas meetings. They thought their attack would set off a wider attack that would destroy Israel and kill all the Jews. But I was right in that they were—and still are—willing to lose ten of thousands of their people. Check it out here:
Cui bono?
Who gains? Hamas and its ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), clearly had been planning the October 7, 2023, attack for at least two years. That means that they had plenty of time to consider all the alternatives. How did they think Israel would respond?
There are several factors to consider. Benjamin Netanyahu had returned to power with an extreme right-wing coalition backing him. That government would surely launch an all-out attack against Gaza in reprisal.
Already life in the West Bank had become even more difficult for the Palestinians who live there, as Israeli settlers regularly open fire on them, sometimes in the sight of army soldiers (much worse now after October 7).[1] Some speculate that Hamas hoped that their attack would inspire a general uprising in the region, not only against Israel but also Hamas’ rival, the Palestinian Authority.
