Israel Faces Imminent Hamas Violence
Escalation may be on the horizon for Israel and Hamas. After May 2021’s Operation Guardian of the Walls ended with Hamas’s infrastructure largely damaged and Egypt’s slow progress in rebuilding much of the Gaza Strip, a senior Hamas source stated that the terror group was “weighing a renewal of violence againsts Israel in Gaza,” perhaps as soon as next week, The Times of Israel reported. One immediate reason for the statement is that Israel and Egypt have established blockades of the Gaza Strip to prevent Palestinian terror groups from acquiring more weaponry. Since May, Hamas has fired the smallest number of rockets toward Israel after a ceasefire since it began warring with Israel in 2006. This may indicate Israel’s success in destroying Hamas’s weapons stockpiles and infrastructure, worldisraelnews.com said.
Israel has been aggressive in recent months in stopping terror attacks before they start. For instance, it has struck about 75% of Iran’s weapons supply in Syria, according to worldisraelnews.com. Hamas should be on the lookout for the same response to its planned violence. The terror group’s threat might signal desperation, willing to risk a war for a chance to recoup their losses in 2021. It might be stubbornness, as they don’t want Israel to be seen as the victor and hope to disrupt the Jewish nation’s plans with an ill-advised attack. Regardless of the reason, some sort of escalation does feel imminent between Israel and Hamas. While we pray for peace and safety in Israel and the Middle East, the next month could prove to be an unsettling one if Hamas lights the powder keg that has been building between the two sides.
