The world this week Politics
Israel came under a sustained attack on its territory, when hordes of Hamas militants broke through the border from Gaza and went on a murderous rampage in the surrounding area. At least 1,200 people were slaughtered, including 260 at a music festival. Hamas massacred whole families in villages and kibbutzim, including babies. Survivors said women were raped before they were murdered. Scores of hostages, including children, were seized by Hamas. The scale of the assault shocked the world. The bodies of 1,500 Hamas terrorists were recovered by the Israeli army.
It took Israel three days to secure its border with Gaza, though Hamas still attacked Israel with rockets. As the Israeli army amassed forces for a massive ground assault the air force pounded the densely populated area. Over a thousand Gazans have already been killed; 340,000 have already fled their homes. Israel cut off energy and water supplies until its hostages are released. Violence also flared in the West Bank, killing dozens of Palestinians. Hizbullah, another Iranian-backed militia, attacked Israel’s north by firing rockets from Lebanon.
Binyamin Netanyahu told Israelis to prepare for a long conflict. The prime minister and Benny Gantz, an opposition leader, formed an emergency government and a war-management cabinet, which will include Gadi Eisenkot. Mr Gantz and Mr Eisenkot are former heads of the Israel Defence Forces. Mr Netanyahu has been criticised for ignoring experienced military leaders while courting far-right coalition partners. The new government promised to change the “strategic reality” of dealing with Hamas.
The leaders of America, Britain, France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement expressing “our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism”. Joe Biden called the attack “an act of sheer evil”. America redirected an aircraft-carrier and other naval ships already in the Mediterranean to the eastern part of the sea, closer to Israel. The Pentagon is increasing its number of fighter jets in the region and will send more weapons to Israel.
The European Union’s response was more muddled. The bloc issued a statement saying development aid to Palestinians would not be suspended, correcting a remark by a European commissioner that it would be.
The day after the attack on Israel an Egyptian policeman opened fire on a group of tourists in Alexandria, killing two Israelis and their Egyptian tour guide. Countries around the world stepped up security for Jews.
America formally declared that the ousting of Niger’s elected government in July was a coup, which will trigger a halt to military assistance and aid programmes. Meanwhile France began withdrawing its troops from the west African country after they were told to leave by the junta.
Seven inmates, six of them Colombian, were killed in prison in Ecuador. They were being held on suspicion of murdering Fernando Villavicencio, a presidential candidate who ran on an anticorruption platform, in August. A presidential run-off will be held on October 15th.
A series of earthquakes killed more than 2,000 people in Afghanistan. The quakes struck Herat province, flattening whole villages.
At least 29 people were killed when Myanmar’s army carried out an artillery strike on a camp for displaced people in the state of Kachin, where separatists are waging an insurgency. Since seizing power in 2021 the military junta has been fighting multiple ethnic armed groups.