What triggered the surprise attack by Hamas?
Hamas launched a highly coordinated attack on Israel, involving various means like motorcycles, pickup trucks, boats, paragliders, and mid-range rockets.
The attack took Israel by surprise and has been compared to the 1973 Yom Kippur attack by Egyptian and Syrian troops.
What are the Palestinian factors?
Relations between Palestine and Israel have deteriorated, with daily military raids by Israel in the occupied West Bank.
Public anger is growing among Palestinians against both Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas aims to capitalize on this anger.
What are the Israeli factors?
Israel is politically divided, with its most right-wing government focusing on domestic legislative changes.
This has led to protests and divisions within the military, possibly making Israel appear vulnerable to Hamas.
What are the geopolitical factors?
The attack coincides with advanced normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia. A successful deal would disadvantage Hamas
and reset West Asian geopolitics. Iran and Hezbollah, who back Hamas, welcomed the attack.
What has been the immediate impact?
The attack resulted in at least 100 people killed and hundreds injured in Israel.
It has raised questions about intelligence failures and could have long-term implications for Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.
What could be the impact on Israel-Saudi relations?
The attack complicates the prospects for immediate normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which is not in the interests of Iran and Hezbollah.
