Our reporters take a closer look at what has changed since the day Hamas militants invaded southern Israel, murdered 1,200 Jews, and abducted 250 others.
Reports by Stanley Egboh, Raymond Obadiah, and Cynthia Alonge, from Lagos.
The world woke up on the morning of October 7, 2023, with the news of an unprovoked invasion of Southern Israel by Hamas militants. The Israelis were aroused from their apparent deep slumber with the chilling cries of death everywhere as thousands of rockets rained down from the skies; on the ground, 5,000 militants had broken through the barriers and infiltrated the community towns, maiming and killing anyone they could find. This was a needless incursion; whatever spurred Hamas to venture into this violent path must have been bigger than just seeking statehood of their own. They would argue that diplomacy and persuasion had failed in the past; that the only language the Israelis understand is violence. Though the world was shocked, many of them, including Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and those currently championing the affirmation of statehood for the Palestinians, kept mute. They offered no consolation to Israel as they groaned and reeled in surprise.
Perhaps they had hoped that the Hamas invasion would succeed in their mission to settle scores once and for all. Nevertheless, when Israel woke up and began reprisal attacks in the course of two years, 65,000 Palestinians had lost their lives, not to mention the thousands wounded. On top of that, Gaza has been razed to the ground, leaving the surviving Palestinians fleeing from hunger and starvation so much that there is talk of genocide! That singular act of invading a sovereign country sparked other hateful repercussions as other Islamist groups who supported the onslaught joined in the fight, thus escalating tension around the region. Hezbollah in Lebanon fired thousands of rockets daily into the Jewish enclave, claiming it was their right to do so; deposed president Assad of Syria gave territory to enemies to ramp up the heat against the Jews; it was like the holocaust days all over again.
Only this time, the Jews are prepared. It was not for nothing that they had declared the famous mantra: “Never again.” Whether Hamas or Hezbollah took notice of this is unclear; the same applies to Yemenis and Iranians, who never miss the opportunity to chant “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. They take delight in spilling the blood of Jews for reasons not exactly clear. Certainly not because the Jews “took over their land” as often alleged. Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia wisely steered clear and watched events unfold. Turkey bared its fangs by describing the Israeli Prime Minister as “worse than a Nazi”. Oatar cleverly used Al-Jazeera to fan the embers of genocide around the world, airing devastating pictures of bloody scenes. As the conflict escalated, Hezbollah found itself in a tight corner with its precious leaders wiped out; Assad in Syria not only lost his throne, but his entire army was destroyed; elements of the Islamic movement embedded in Iraq sued for peace and withdrew. Yemenis heightened tension by firing ballistic missiles at sea-going vessels and inside Israel.
Despite losing a contingent of senior officials, including the Prime Minister, the ballistic missiles and drones have not abated; The Western powers, notably Britain, France, Canada, Australia, Norway, Andorra, etc., only paid lip service as the carnage dragged on. And then enter the Iranians; they have often set a timeline for the Destruction of Israel. If words alone were enough to cause havoc, the Iranians would have won the Nobel Prize by their use of rhetoric. “If Israel dares attack us, they will be annihilated.”, “Blood and Tears will flow if Israel attempts to strike our territory,” They boasted without ceasing, throwing the world into panic. It was like the days of Goliath all over again. Goliath threatened the Israelites until they became drenched in fear; they trembled whenever he appeared, until a certain David called his bluff. So it was in 3what has become known as the 12 days’ war, Israel invaded Iran and extinguished virtually half of their top military high command. It was a shock to see the once boisterous self-proclaimed champions of the Middle East whining and calling for a ceasefire.
Enter President Donald Trump of the United States, who has been on his toes trying to quell the fire between Russia and Ukraine. This is an arena where Europe failed to intervene; they are sore afraid of Russia; they kept their distance while Trump ramped up pressure on Putin. With Gaza gradually turning to rubble, the West found its voice and voted for terrorism; Yemen was not condemned even now; in the same disdainful treatment meted to Africa, they rose and pronounced a Palestinian state without condemning the massacre of October 7, 2023. They are calling for a ceasefire without corresponding hostage release. At the United Nations meeting, not a word was mentioned about the continued castration of the hostages. Only President Donald Trump was strident and threatening. Western powers left the Israeli hostages to their grim fate just like they did in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre! They made Israelis look like villains and pushed for complete isolation. If the same blistering pace is admitted to Russia, it is possible Putin would have balked and retreated from the Ukrainian conflict. But the fear of Putin is apparent; they dared not cross his red line, even though we have seen, as in the case of Iran, that he may well be an empty drum!
After two years of Hamas incursion into Israel, the aftermath in life and property cannot be exactly quantified. It is now generally accepted that, indeed, this was a needless war. Look at the generation of hitherto proud military commanders who lost their lives? We need to write about the billions of dollars lost that ought to have gone into road and infrastructure improvement. Benjamin Netanyahu has regressed into a villain seen by many as a murderer! But this is not true; Opposition in Israel assumed a greater role and exposed internal cracks; the hostage family forum showed the world they cared less about their soldiers on the battlefield while holding the nation to ransom for their loved ones. This is not the Israel that fought the Six-Day War! The champions of the hostage forum ought to know that Hamas will not differentiate between Netanyahu and them, given the opportunity again; this is evidenced in the statement they released in remembrance of that evil day by calling it “a success”! Whatever ceasefire that is brokered will only be fragile; to Hamas, it is either them or the Jews; there is no love lost whatsoever. Lebanon is redrawing the power loop by shoving a weakened Hezbollah aside; Syria is on the verge of signing a peace pact with Israel for the first time in history.
And a new government will soon be in place in Gaza—without Hamas. Donald Trump is the biggest winner of the misadventure of October 7, 2023. Whereas his predecessor Joe Biden was passive, even showing sympathy for Hamas or threading a cautious line, Trump has come out openly and tough. The cowboy trait in him is right there on the table for all to see. It is only a matter of time before he turns on Putin full-time. As for Hamas, Israel would never again allow them back. Their leaders hibernating in Qatar may have won the political ceasefire battle, but they will live in fear for the rest of their lives, not that they care anyway. In retrospect, they were tactless both in their approach to seeking the Palestinian cause as well as confronting their archenemy. Diplomacy may well have been a better sensible path than terrorism. Israel is not only stronger; it also has a cause to apply brutality against any threat to their existence. Finally, the truth must not be lost on the Palestinians to be more realistic: just like the West cannot do more than what they have done so far, so also, they, the Palestinians, can never succeed in dislodging the Israelis who will forever remain their neighbors; let the October 7, 2023, never repeat itself again
