Jerusalem: Monday marks a year after Hamas militants entered Israel, killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostage, and Tel Aviv retaliated with blunt force. The Israel-Hamas conflict has spread to Lebanon, the Houthi rebels of Yemen have fired missiles and drones at shipping in the Red Sea and Iran has attacked Israel with missiles, and the region, and the world, tensely awaits retaliation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Of the 250 hostages, about 120 have been returned to Israel. The bodies of 37 other hostages were also repatriated to Israel.
Over the last one year, the Israeli counter-offensive has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all of the 2.3 million population in Gaza, causing a hunger crisis and destroying almost all infrastructure.
According to an estimate by the United Nations, Israel’s bombing of Gaza over the past year has generated over 42 million tonnes of debris. It would fill the Great Pyramid of Giza — Egypt's largest — 11 times. And it is growing daily.
The conflict has triggered several legal cases at international courts. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is considering a prosecution request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Gallant and two Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan in May asked for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh for its attack on Israel..
Israel also faces charges of alleged state responsibility for violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Netanyahu has said that the government was acting to prevent a repeat of the October 7 assault.
On Saturday, people around the globe held protest marches. About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London, while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City. Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting against US support for Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
With Israel poised to attack Iran, having already blindsided friends and foes alike with its blitz against Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, all the talk is of an inexorable slide towards a new, pan-Middle Eastern war.
"Whoever attacks us – we attack them," Netanyahu told his security cabinet, summing up his doctrine of deterrence.
