The shock was immense when images of the radical Islamic Hamas’ brutal massacre of Israeli civilians went around the world. It quickly became clear: the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust was also an attack on the existence of Israel. Around 1,200 people, most of them young, were brutally murdered and over 240 hostages were taken to the Gaza Strip. Around 100 of them are still missing today. Reason enough to pause a year later and remember the victims.
But when we talk about October 7, 2023 today, the day can hardly be seen in isolation from the events that have happened since then. Anyone who thinks of October 7th not only has images of the Hamas attack and the hostages in their minds, but also of the countless victims of the subsequent war in Gaza.
Even though it soon became clear that Israel would respond militarily to the terrorist attack, many were surprised by the scale of the military operation in Gaza. To this day, critical voices around the world express some massive criticism of Israeli politics.
While the mood in the first days after October 7th was mostly one of empathy for the Jews, it quickly changed. Solidarity with Israel crumbled in the face of images of destruction from Gaza, and the misery of the Palestinians soon made Hamas’ terrorist attacks fade into the background.
