Oct. 7 was a tragedy, what followed was worse

A Palestinian woman with a child walks past the rubble of houses destroyed during the Israeli military offensive against Hamas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in November 2024. | REUTERS

Oct 9, 2026

This week marked the third anniversary of the murderous attack by Hamas terrorists against Israel. Since then, the Middle East has been reordered, with Israel devastating the Gaza Strip and taking on supporters of Hamas and like-minded groups throughout the region.

While brutally effective, that effort has also isolated Israel like perhaps no other time in its modern history. There have been no winners among the moving forces of this tragedy although some actors on the periphery of the fight may have benefited.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas unleashed a horrific attack on Israel. As some 5,000 rockets were fired from Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip, around 6,000 Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel, attacking soft targets, such as a music festival, murdering innocent civilians and seizing hostages. The Israeli government claims that 1,200 people were killed and 251 people taken.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.