Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel on October 7. About five thousand rockets hit Israel. Not only the rocket attack, but also the attack that was carried out by Hamas that day entering the territory of Israel. Civilians are abducted, women are brutally tortured. Many civilians were also taken hostage to Gaza by Hamas. Innocent children were not spared from the brutality. There have been hellish incidents like children being shot in the head.
The deaths of over 1,400 people including children were reported by Israeli authorities after the October 7 attack by Hamas, with the total death toll currently at 9,706. The attacks were unprecedented in tactics and scale as Israel has not faced its adversaries in street battles on its own territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It has also never faced a terror attack of this magnitude that has taken the lives of so many civilians.
While Hamas has kidnapped Israelis before, it has never before taken dozens of hostages at once, including children and the elderly. According to the US Government, at least 32 Americans have been killed in Hamas attacks in Israel. Naturally, Israel was not silent after this incident. They also launched a counterattack against terrorist Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declared war on Hamas and threatened to wipe out Hamas.
But it is particularly noticeable that whenever there is a counter attack on terrorists, it is tried to be presented as a violation of human rights, an attack on humanity. Some people who are masked as human rights activists but actually support terrorism and cry for the lives of terrorists. And when these terrorists kill common citizens, torture women, kill children in haste, they don’t spend a single word for those brutal incidents. Are these not the violence for humanity? So Why do they react in different ways in two similar cases?
Now let’s talk about Hamas and their activities. The barbaric, demonic events that Hamas has committed over the years can still show humanity for them! Did they show their humanity at all? It seems not! At least that’s what Hamas’s history says. Nevertheless, for those who are heavy-hearted, taking to the streets and marching for Hamas, below are some of the many hellish incidents for them.
Hamas has attacked civilians in Israel so many times. On July 24, 1995, six Israeli citizens were killed in a Hamas suicide attack. Just few days later that same year on August 21, a suicide bombing on a bus in Jerusalem killed three Israelis and one American. On February 25, 1996, a Hamas suicide attack on bus number 18 on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem killed seventeen civilians and nine soldiers and seriously injured around 48 people.
Just a week later, Feb 25, 1996 – In a suicide bombing of bus No. 18 near the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem, 26 were killed (17 civilians and 9 soldiers). Jul 30, 1997 – 16 people were killed and 178 wounded in two consecutive suicide bombings in the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem. Sep 4, 1997 – Five people were killed and 181 wounded in three suicide bombings on the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall in Jerusalem.
On the August, 2001, 15 people were killed, including 7 children, and about 130 injured in a suicide bombing at the Sbarro pizzeria on the corner of King George Street and Jaffa Road in the center of Jerusalem. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
On March 27, 2002, 30 people were killed and 140 injured – 20 seriously – in a suicide bombing in the Park Hotel in the coastal city of Netanya, in the midst of the Passover holiday seder with 250 guests. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
On May 7, 2002, 16 people were killed and 55 wounded in a crowded game club in Rishon Lezion, southeast of Tel-Aviv, when a suicide bomber detonated a powerful charge in the 3rd floor club, causing part of the building to collapse.
On July 31, 2002 – Nine people were killed and eighty-five injured, fourteen of them seriously, when a bomb exploded in the cafeteria of the Frank Sinatra Student Center on the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University.
On March 14, 2004, Ten people were killed and 16 wounded in a double suicide bombing at Ashdod Port. Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hamas has committed numerous such infamous inhumane incidents over the past few years. Common people and even children were not spared from destructive attacks. Here the question is, is it appropriate to take the side of such a notorious militant organization or to raise the question of humanity and their covert support? Here is another thing to note, if we notice that every incident was initiated by Hamas, just as this time the war was initiated by their attack.
Incidentally, One more thing to mention here. Hamas must not have been unaware that an attack on Israel would lead to a counter-attack on them. In the past, Israel’s counter-offensive or Israel’s strong military power, Hamas must have been able to predict what the response to this attack could be or how long it could be, and in that case, the loss of civilian lives on their side could easily be imagined. So, why did they start this war? So Hamas is much more responsible for the civilian casualties in Gaza than Israel is being blamed for today’s attacks by the Israeli military. Because they have knowingly involved the common people in this killing. Still showing sympathy for them is not an expression of too much generosity?
Poet Guru Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his poem ‘Nyayadanda’, The one who does injustice and the one who tolerates injustice, then hatred is equal to him. Israel, however, was not guilty of this offense. They did not tolerate this attack of Hamas but gave a strong response to the wrongdoers.
The current situation is similar to the poem by Rabindranath Tagore ‘Buddhang Saranang Gachchami’. Incidentally, Rabindranath was deeply saddened and shocked by the fascist violence of Buddhist Japan during the Second World War. In September 1937, a newspaper published a pictorial report, ‘A group of soldiers in Japan praying for victory in front of a statue of Lord Buddha before a war march.’
Rabindranath was angry and saddened by reading this news. On the one hand, the burning of civilization in the fire of violence, on the other hand, the pioneer of non-violence policy saw this duplicity and hypocrisy of the soldiers taking refuge in ‘Lord Buddha’ and wrote the well-known poem ‘Buddhang Saranang Gachhami’. This time on the one hand, Hamas continues to show its brutality and horror. Then there is no such protest against them. But there are more protests against Israel while they attacked Hamas, aimed at eradicating these terrorists from the world. The similarity of their dualistic position with the Japanese soldiers in this poem written by Kabiguru is noticeable.
Not only anti-Israel countries, but also some political parties in bharat also stand with Hamas. Their situation is similar to that of the Japanese soldiers in the poem ‘Buddhang Samarang Gachhami’. When Israeli children, women are being robbed, killed by the attacks of militants, it is not an attack on humanity for them.
On the other hand, they are supporting Hamas only to retain their own vote bank for very small interests. When Hamas simultaneously launched 5,000 missiles and rockets on October 7 and brutally tortured Israeli women, children and other citizens, these political leaders did not condemn the terrorist incident. On the other hand, when Israel is launching a counter-offensive against Hamas, they are taking to the streets to protest.
In spite of all these, the light of hope has been that Bharat declared its support for Israel by following a zero tolerance policy against terrorism and the Indian government stands for a permanent and peaceful solution to the problem through negotiations between Palestine and Israel.
It is not unknown to anyone that organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are dangerous and brutal terrorist organizations. But despite knowing this, the stance of some political parties to support this terrorist organisation just only to serve their own political interests is on the one hand a curse of humanity and on the other hand it is against national security.
– Diganta Chakraborty
