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DEOn 7 October, mass explosions were heard in Israel. The country was attacked by terrorists from the Gaza Strip. The capital of Israel and border settlements were hit by enemy missiles. Israel’s Defence Minister said that Hamas had declared war on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country was in a “state of war” and the Defence Forces announced the counter-terrorist operation Iron Swords. Israel has mobilised more than 80,000 IDF reservists, including members of elite units. The Israeli army said it had regained control over the majority of settlements in the country’s south.
World Community Condemns Terrorist Attacks against Israel
The world is shocked by the terrorist attack. Over 250 dead and more than 1,500 injured were reported in Israel. Many messages and videos have appeared online showing terrorists kidnapping Israeli women and shooting civilians.
“Ukraine strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks on civilians in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We support Israel in its right to defend itself and its people,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.
“We condemn the terror and violence waged against innocent people. My thoughts are with all those under fire, all the first responders and those defending against these brutal attacks. Terror will never prevail,” President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola stated.
President of the European Council Charles Michel also condemned the attack on the territory of Israel and its people. He declared the solidarity of the European Union with Israel.
“I am shocked by this morning’s attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens. Israel has an absolute right to defend itself,” UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
“The U.S. unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians. There is never any justification for terrorism. We stand firmly with the Government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks,” US National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson noted.
In addition, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin promised that Washington would provide Tel Aviv with everything it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from attacks.
Russia and Hamas
Vladimir Putin is one of the few politicians in the modern world who does not hesitate to lend a hand to Hamas members. After the victory of this radical movement in the parliamentary elections in the Palestinian Authority, the Russian president declared his readiness to maintain contact with it and invited Hamas representatives to Moscow.
Now, the Russian Federation traditionally blames the United States for the conflict between Israel and Palestine. This was stated by Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.
“The start of clashes between Hamas and Israel on the 50th anniversary of the start of the Yom Kippur War is an event that could be expected. This is what Washington and its allies should have done,” Medvedev wrote.
According to him, the US intervened in the relations between Russia and Ukraine instead of working on a solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Instead of actively working on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, they came to us to help the neo-Nazis, pushing two close peoples against each other. What can stop America’s manic passion for stirring up conflicts everywhere on the planet? Apparently, only a civil war on the territory of the United States,” he wrote.
Consequences for Ukraine
Ukrainian experts stress that the war in the Middle East will have negative consequences for Ukraine. Political expert and journalist Vitaliy Portnikov said on his YouTube channel that it was quite important for Russia that wars started in different regions of the world. So, the West cannot focus on helping Ukraine, and Moscow is free to continue the war of attrition, which Russian dictator Vladimir Putin considers a real way out of the situation in which he found himself as a result of the “blitzkrieg” fiasco in Ukrainian territory.
“It should be remembered that among those who will support Hamas in its confrontation with Israel and its readiness to continue hostilities are the allies of the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which helps Hamas in armament and economic survival after the terrorist organisation lost support in the Arab world and cannot hope for significant assistance unless it de-escalates,” the journalist summarised.
The Kremlin will use the Hamas attack on Israel to promote narratives aimed at reducing US and Western support and attention to Ukraine. Analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) drew attention to this in a new report. They noted that Russian authorities had already used and would probably continue to use Hamas attacks on Israel to advance their information operations aimed at reducing US and Western aid to Ukraine.
Russia’s impunity by the world community leads to large-scale military attacks in various countries of the world. Even if it doesn’t happen in Europe or the US, they will also suffer from the war in the Middle East.
Ukraine sympathises with the people of Israel and supports them in the fight against terrorists. At the same time, Ukrainian civil society is concerned that Russia will now attack Ukraine even more while the world’s attention is focused on the situation in Israel. Our country must defeat the Russian invaders. The Promote Ukraine team will continue to work to integrate this issue into the general direction of its work in Brussels
Natalia Tolub
