Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and the rest of the world, have witnessed what the so called invincible IDF have done over the years. Pushing old men and women to the ground and kicking them, harassing teenage girls, headlocking young children, standing by and watching settler colonists attack mosques and shoving worshippers. That sort of behaviour doesn't put the fear into anyone. So much so that young kids and girls will stand up to them. The veneer of a disciplined military has been thrown out the window.
We know from occupied Ireland, the hard the military pushed against nationalist people e.g concentration camp interment in the H Blocks recruitment shot up for the IRA. After the Derry atrocities again an up turn in recruitment.
Hamas's type organisations are a constant and they get bigger and bigger, more bolder and bolder with each passing generation.
In the past, they would be an incident and within a week or two it'd subside with some compromise or other. Usually brokered by the US with support from Middle Eastern countries, because the Palestinians were generally always left on their own. There was a bit of tub thumping from Arab leaders. What is different now is those countries that tub thumped and didn't really do anything, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia etc. with some suffering terribly because of the US and they sre still angry even after they've kicked the US out. The US has very few friends in the Middle East. The Saudis have all but ditched them. The Taliban who've never really been interested in Palestine are talking getting involved with the billions of dollar military equipment left by the US when they were kicked out.
In a load of capitals in the Middle East there are huge demonstrations. That has happened in the past but now they are more angry.
This is before the really thorny issue of what will Hezbollah do. The IDF fear these more than anything. Theyve gained military experience in Syria when they successfully routed anti Assad forces. They sit on a huge missile stockpile 40 000 plus and have fighters itching for a fight. While Hamas and Hezbollah were on different sides iin Syria they've now fully reconciled.i
The IDF will be hoping there is some compromise or other, because they'll not relish going into the Gaza strip, and fighting against adults. Just like they didn't in Beirut in 1982. This could well be a seminal moment in the Palestinians quest to get all their land back, all their businesses back, all their homes back and feel like first class citizens in their whole country.
