Skip links

The Goals of Hamas’ Terrorist Attack on Israel from Gaza

The strategic surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, on 07 October 2023, needs a thorough analysis to understand all its intelligence and operational failures aspects and their impact on Israel, on the regional arena, and beyond.

This paper will evaluate the strategic goals of Hamas in its barbarian terrorist attack on Israel: 

(1) The weakening and possible crumbling of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, with the hope to take control of it. This is the long-term objective.

(2) The disruption of the normalization process between Saudi Arabia and Israel, this being the more urgent, immediate, objective, intertwined with Iran’s regional interests.