Israel-Palestine war: This humiliation has shaken the Israeli psyche to its core
he recent military operation against Israel launched by Hamas from Gaza represents a potential turning point in the conflict - one that could fundamentally reconfigure the longstanding power dynamics between Palestinian resistance and Israel.
Described as a “date that will live in infamy in Israel” by one Israeli official, the operation, codenamed Al-Aqsa Flood, has reverberated deeply within Israel and has also stirred apprehension among its allies, both regionally and internationally.
On 7 October, Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza initiated a multifaceted military operation involving rocket attacks on Israel, coupled with a massive ground attack that breached the Israeli-enforced barrier around Gaza.
Palestinian fighters were able to take control of Israeli settlements and military sites adjacent to Gaza.
The operation resulted in hundreds of Israelis killed and thousands injured, with more than 100 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Hamas. The ultimate number of Israeli casualties may be greater than what has been reported so far.
While the full implications are still unfolding, the scale and coordination of the assault suggest an emboldened and enhanced operational capability by Palestinian resistance.
The psychological impact on the status quo, and the disruption of it, has been profound. Israel, with its aura of military supremacy shaken, is experiencing its worst strategic defeat in the face of Palestinian resistance since its creation 75 years ago.