Today marks three years since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from Gaza, massacring families and dragging hostages back into the Palestinian territory. The attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 individuals. The horror of the event was soon overshadowed by condemnation of Israel's response, with the country being expected to justify its actions while the perpetrators' responsibility faded from view.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, South Africa's department of international relations and co-operation attributed the violence to occupation, settlement expansion, and Palestinian oppression. This narrative was perpetuated even before the dead had been buried. The South African government reached for grievances against Israel before demanding accountability from Hamas, the perpetrators of the attack. However, no grievance justifies murdering families or taking children hostage.
Hamas had been attacking Israel relentlessly for years, including through repeated rocket fire. The organisation's founding covenant invoked killing Jews and likened it to a holy act. Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad promised further attacks until Israel was annihilated, revealing the genocidal ambition that Israel confronts. Expecting Israel to tolerate Hamas's survival across its border means expecting Jewish families to live within reach of men who have vowed more rape, more murder, and another massacre.
Defeating Hamas was made harder by the organisation's tactics, as it embedded military infrastructure among civilians, exposing homes and essential services to the fighting. In June 2025, foreign reporters were shown a tunnel beneath the European Hospital that had been used as a Hamas command centre. Using civilian facilities to shield military operations places the people relying on them in danger. Hamas's responsibility did not end when its fighters returned to Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Force issued advance warnings through leaflets and telephone calls, attempting to move civilians away from impending operations. These practical efforts aimed to reduce civilian casualties while fighting an enemy embedded among them. However, condemning the destruction while ignoring both those precautions and Hamas's methods strips the war of its context. The cavalcade of genocide accusations has served only to diminish the meaning of genocide itself.
The ANC's response to the conflict has been criticised, as an ANC delegation led by general secretary Fikile Mbalula met Hamas representatives in December 2023. This meeting came after the cabinet condemned the attack, and has been seen as contradictory. The past three years have exposed how readily hatred of Israel becomes hatred of Jews, with attacks on Jewish people and institutions rising internationally.
Lasting peace requires ending Hamas's power to govern through terror and wage another war through defeat or genuine surrender and disarmament. Israel must be able to protect its people, and Palestinians deserve freedom from Hamas's coercive rule. Remembering October 7 means refusing to excuse its perpetrators or forget their victims.
Key points
- Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 abductions.
- Israel's war to defeat Hamas is not a campaign to exterminate Palestinians.
- Lasting peace requires ending Hamas's power to wage another war.
