– By Brij Khandelwal
On 6th October in the wee hours, thousands of Palestine’s Hamas militant Islamic fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel from land, air, and water. Entering the territory claimed by the Israelis, they not only killed hundreds of Israeli civilians and soldiers but also captured nearly a hundred of them. They have also captured Israel’s military assets including heavy tanks.
According to an estimate, Hamas attacked the Jewish country with no fewer than 5,000 rockets. Briefly put, Israel was taken absolutely unawares by the sudden attack. However, this gives rise to scores of questions about the tiny country’s existence, about its security system, and about its armed forces.
Of all the things, the failure of the much-vaunted air shield as well as of the intelligence system as exemplified by Mossad is the most incomprehensible. Equally baffling is the failure of the Israeli army, which is supposed to be the best army in the world. What is even worse, its highly estimated weapon systems seem to have come under a cloud. This will affect the sale of Israeli weapons on the global arms market. That apart, Israel’s enemies around will feel emboldened by Hamas denting the Israeli defence. In one fell swoop, Israel has lost an aura of invincibility.
Besides, the development in West Asia has shown India’s foreign policy to be fiercely independent and free from predictable reactions. Prime Minister Modi has unequivocally condemned unprovoked acts of terrorism against Israel and extended his full support to the Jewish state.
