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The Role of Religion and Territory in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Analyzing the Background of Hamas’ Attack on Israel

Israeli Airstrike Destroys Palestinian Telecommunications Building

In a shocking turn of events, the Palestinian armed faction Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, leaving experts to speculate about the underlying motivations. One theory, known as the “Iran theory,” suggests that Iran provided support to Hamas out of concern for its own standing in the international community. This concern arose following the recent normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which was mediated by the United States.

Evidence of external support for Hamas has been mounting, particularly due to the unprecedented firepower displayed in their latest airstrike against Israel. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an anonymous source, that Iran played a role in supporting this assault. However, the United States has yet to officially confirm Iran’s direct involvement.

Some skeptics question the idea of a Sunni Islamist group like Hamas receiving assistance from the Shia-dominated Iran. Yet, the shifting dynamics in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia seeking to establish closer ties with Israel, create a complex situation where such alliances cannot be easily dismissed.

While Hamas and Iran may have their differences, both share a common adversary: Israel. For Iran, the existence of an Israel armed with nuclear weapons is intolerable. Likewise, Hamas views the current Israeli territory as belonging to Islam, rather than any individual or group.

It is important to examine the historical context of Hamas’ surprise attack. Founded in 1987, the militant Islamic political faction can trace its roots back to the Sunni Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt in the late 1920s. While the Palestinian Authority operates from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hamas is primarily based in the Gaza Strip. Their core belief is that the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel is sacred and belongs to Islam, a belief they vow to pass down to future Muslim generations.

Additionally, the significance of naming this airstrike the “Al Aqsa Flood” should not be overlooked. The term “Al Aqsa” refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, an area that holds great religious significance for Islam. This location is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, cherished as three of Islam’s holiest sites. The annexation of the Old City of Jerusalem by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967 posed a challenge. While Israel claimed control over the area, tampering with the existing Islamic structures would have ignited a global Muslim backlash. Therefore, the control of the mosque on the Temple Mount was handed over to the WAQF, an Islamic organization, with external security provided by the Israeli police.

However, a recent incident involving Israel’s National Security Minister, Ben-Gvir, and his visit to the Temple Mount stirred controversy. It is considered sacrilege for non-Muslims to tread on this sacred ground, making Netanyahu’s claim that “the Temple Mount is open to all” deeply unsettling to Muslims. This event led to the cancellation of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the United Arab Emirates and triggered violent protests by Palestinian armed groups, including rocket attacks against Israel and the burning of Ben-Gvir effigies.

In response, Prime Minister Netanyahu labeled Hamas’ airstrike as an act of war, vowing a strong retaliatory response. However, it is crucial to recognize that Netanyahu must bear some responsibility for the adverse consequences resulting from the “Ben-Gvir raid on the Temple Mount,” which greatly strained relations between Israel and the Middle East.

Given Hamas’ decision to name this attack the “Al Aqsa Flood,” it is challenging to dismiss any connection to the Temple Mount incident. From Hamas’ perspective, the limited control they possess over the Temple Mount after losing territory is deeply unfair. Furthermore, the audacity of a foreigner claiming the right for Jews to worship freely on this sacred site only adds fuel to the fire. It is important for the public to understand the vital significance Muslims attach to preserving their holy sites. It is difficult to believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu was unaware of this.

As more information emerges, the truth behind the relationship between Hamas and Iran will gradually come to light. Nonetheless, it is imperative to comprehend the underlying reasons and context for Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel.

Palestinian telecommunications company building destroyed in Israeli airstrike. random news
There are various interpretations regarding the background of the surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas.

Those who have formulated the ‘Iran theory’ claim that Iran supported Hamas out of concern that it might be marginalized in the international community as relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel were recently normalized through mediation by the United States.

It is also true that external support is gaining strength because the firepower of the latest Hamas airstrike is so great that it is incomparable to previous skirmishes with Israel.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported, citing a source, “This Hamas airstrike was supported by Iran.” However, the United States has not officially confirmed that Iran intervened directly.

Some people express doubts that Hamas, a Sunni Islamist group, has received support from Shia-dominated Iran, but since Saudi Arabia, the Sunni leader, is trying to normalize relations with Israel, it is easy to understand the complex dynamics. and various Middle Eastern This is not true.

However, Hamas and Iran have something fundamental in common. Both had the ‘thorn in their eyes’ called Israel.

This is because Israel can never tolerate Iran, which is trying to formalize its ‘possession of nuclear weapons’, and for Hamas, the current territory of Israel does not belong to any individual or group, but belongs to Islam.

Of course, the existence of a common enemy called Israel does not support the ‘Iran theory’. I believe that the truth about the relationship between Hamas and Iran will gradually be revealed, and for now, I would like to look back at the reason and background of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel.

Firstly, Hamas is a militant Islamic political faction founded in 1987, and its roots lie in the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’, a Sunni Islamic group founded in Egypt in the late 1920s.

While the Palestinian Authority is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hamas is based in the Gaza Strip.

They promise that “the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel is a sacred possession of Islam, to be used by future Muslim generations until the Day of Judgment.”

It is also important to note that Hamas named this airstrike the ‘Al Aqsa Flood’.

Al-Aqsa refers to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Here you will find the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, three of Islam’s holiest sites. These temples were built according to the legend that Muhammad visited heaven here.

In 1967, Israel won the ‘Six Day War’ and annexed the Old City of Jerusalem, where the Temple Mount was, under Jordanian control, to its own territory.

However, there was nothing they could do about the mosque built on the Temple Mount. This is because it is obvious that if a place that had already become a holy site for Islam was tampered with, Muslims all over the world would unite and wage war against Israel.

In the end, Israel handed over the control of the mosque already built on the Temple Mount to the WAQF (Islamic Organization of Jordan and Palestine), and left the external security only to the Israeli police.

Although there is currently an Islamic temple, the Temple Mount is a sacred site that cannot be compromised not only for Islam, but also for Judaism and Christianity.

In Judaism, the Temple Mount is considered not only the land of Adam and Noah, but also Mount Moriah, where Abraham tried to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is also believed that this is where the temple was built during Solomon’s time. In Christianity, it is a place that cannot be compromised because it is the stage where Jesus’ main ministry took place.

In particular, for Islam, holy places are places that must be protected even at the cost of one’s life. This means that the so-called ‘liberation of holy sites’ is not a nominal goal used by Islamic groups to hide their true goals, but can be a goal in itself.

But early this year, something unbelievable happened to Islam on the Temple Mount.

Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security. random news
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir, who oversees the Israeli police establishment and the border police, went ahead and visited the Temple Mount on the morning of January 3. The time he stayed there was only about 13 minutes, but the ‘ after effects’ are by no means small.

From an Islamic perspective, it is considered unclean and blasphemous for non-Muslims to set foot on the Temple Mount.

However, I was shocked when an Israeli minister suddenly appeared and claimed that “the Temple Mount is open to all.”

After this incident, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was cancelled, and from then on, Palestinian armed groups started violent protests, including shooting rockets into Israel and burning Ben-Grieb models.

Ben-Grieb was the leader of the Religious Zionist Party, a far-right Jewish party, but was appointed minister through a coalition government with Netanyahu’s Likur Party.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu defined this Hamas air strike as ‘war’ and declared a large-scale retaliation.

However, it cannot be said that he is not responsible for the ‘Ben-Ghrib raid on the Temple Mount’, which shook the general relationship between Israel and the Middle East.

A rocket is fired by Hamas towards Israel. random news
However, given that Hamas has named this airstrike the ‘Al Aqsa Flood’, it is hard to say that it has nothing to do with the incident.

From Hamas’ point of view, it is unfair that they can barely control the Temple Mount after losing their territory. It is even worse when a foreigner enters the Temple Mount and claims that “Jews can worship here as the they want,” so they can’t sit by and watch.

The public does not fully understand how important Muslims consider the sacred preservation of sacred sites. However, there is no way Prime Minister Netanyahu did not know this.
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