Hamas attack, one year on - a view from Israel

One year after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel, the war shows no signs of stopping. More than 1,200 Israelis died on 7 October, while Israeli strikes have since killed more than 40,000 Palestinians. Despite ceasefires and hostage exchanges, the conflict remains unresolved. This is part one of a double interview that reflects both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives on the crisis.

Gerald Steinberg, founder and president of NGO Monitor, shared his thoughts on how the conflict has deeply changed Israeli society.

NGO Monitor is a think tank that scrutinizes critical reports on Israel from groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and France’s FIDH.

Steinberg is also an emeritus professor at Bar Ilan University.

Hamas attack, one year on - a view from Gaza

RFI: How did the 7 October attacks change Israel?

Gerald Steinberg: Most Israelis will agree that this was the most significant event since the 1973 war and even since the founding of the state in 1948.

The number of people that were killed, the failure of the entire security system to prevent or limit these attacks were very much of a shock to almost every Israeli. The results of that continue to echo. Once the war is over there will be many investigations and attempts to understand and prevent this from happening again.

RFI: What impact did the hostage crisis have on public opinion?

Europe is discounted as completely irrelevant.


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