Blackcap Blog

Published at 16:58 on 9 October 2023

It’s not that unusual for Israel to invade Gaza. This weekend, when I was away from the Internet, Hamas invaded Israel.

Because that’s what it was: an invasion. That is what it is called when one side’s military forces enter another side’s territory and takes land by force.

The more interesting question is who put Hamas up to it.

Because someone basically had to. The invasion makes no sense from a realpolitik angle.

You’re Palestinian, you want your homeland back. Is it really a practical strategy to try and get it back by invading and occupying Israel, who possesses what is indisputably the most powerful military in the region? Provoke a fighting war with Israel and Hamas loses. There really is no other realistic outcome.

Someone put Hamas up to it, by playing on their hatred for Israel.

That someone does not have the Palestinian (or even the Hamas) best interest at heart, because as I said earlier, the only realistic outcome one can anticipate is that Hamas will lose.

And when Hamas loses, it will be particularly humiliating for the Palestinian side. More than likely, Israel will respond by invading and (re-)occupying Gaza. Because, unlike Hamas, Israel actually has enough military power to occupy and hold enemy territory indefinitely, this occupation will last indefinitely. This is no doubt what the Netanyahu meant when he said the Hamas attack would “change the Middle East.”

So given how badly this is all set to backfire for Hamas, who could have put Hamas up to it, and why did they do it?