Why Hamas chose October 7 to launch bloodiest attack on Israel
On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas initiated a major surprise attack on Israel by launching a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip. This attack breached security barriers, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.
Simchat Torah, also known as Simhat Torah, is a significant Jewish holiday that celebrates the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning of a new cycle. In 2023, Simchat Torah fell between sunset on October 6 and nightfall on October 7.
The timing of this attack, with the public celebrating Simchat Torah while the Israeli army was in high spirits due to the festivities, raised concerns about its potential impact on the outcome. Hamas, a militant group, had the potential to cause significant damage to lives and military targets. However, some analysts believed that the timing of the Hamas attack may have been related to the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, which began 50 years earlier on October 6.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism and falls annually on a date in September or early October. The Yom Kippur War was a conflict between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. It commenced on October 6, 1973, when the Arab coalition launched a surprise attack against Israel on Yom Kippur day.
Most of the combat occurred in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, both of which Israel had occupied since 1967.
Egypt's initial objective in the war was to secure a foothold on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and use these gains to negotiate the return of the rest of the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula. After two weeks of intense fighting that resulted in the deaths of approximately 20,000 people (including 2,521 Israelis and 8,000-18,500 Arabs), Israel achieved victory and expanded its territorial holdings.
However, Israel recognized that, despite its battlefield successes, there was no guarantee of continued military dominance over the Arab states, as it had experienced in previous conflicts. These realizations paved the way for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
The 1978 Camp David Accords, which followed the war, led to Israel returning the entire Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. This event subsequently resulted in the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, marking the first time an Arab country recognized Israel as a legitimate state.
On October 6, 2023, more than 5,000 rockets were launched at Israel, making it one of the deadliest attacks on Israel since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.
