In the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists, Israel has remained engaged in ongoing defensive military operations across the Middle East. The assault, characterized by mass executions, abductions, and targeted violence against civilians, marked the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust and was widely condemned by the international community, including the United States and European allies. According to Israeli government briefings and multiple independent sources, more than 1,200 people, including infants, women, and the elderly, were murdered, and at least 240 individuals abducted into Gaza.
Israel’s response, coordinated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has focused on neutralizing the military capability of Hamas and restoring security to Israeli territory. The country’s campaign, known as Operation Iron Swords, is supported by clear legal justification—the inherent right of sovereign states to defend their populations from attack, as affirmed by international humanitarian law and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have employed a sustained campaign featuring precision-guided strikes, intelligence-driven targeting, and ground maneuvers aimed at dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure, including weapons depots, tunnel networks, and command centers concealed within civilian areas in Gaza.
At every stage, the IDF has emphasized efforts to minimize civilian harm. Israeli authorities have publicized extensive procedures for notifying noncombatants ahead of strikes, including leaflet drops, text messages, and phone calls. While the challenge of urban warfare is compounded by Hamas’s deliberate embedding of its fighters among Gaza’s residents—an explicit violation of the Geneva Conventions—Israel’s approach has drawn recognition from allied military officials and independent analysts for its commitment to the laws of armed conflict. Nevertheless, the complexity and intensity of fighting within densely populated environments has led to significant humanitarian challenges, with Israel continuing to facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and aid via coordination with international agencies such as the United Nations and Red Cross.
Throughout the conflict, Israeli leaders have consistently linked their actions to the broader regional threat posed by Iranian-backed terror organizations. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), acting as Tehran’s principal foreign policy arm, provides material and financial support to terrorist proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Hezbollah, designated a terrorist group by the United States and European Union, maintains a massive arsenal on Israel’s northern frontier and has intensified rocket and missile attacks targeting Israeli communities. In response, the IDF has launched precision strikes on Hezbollah positions while maintaining open communication channels with Western partners to prevent wider escalation.
The geographic scope of the Iranian axis of terror includes not only Hamas and Hezbollah, but also the Houthis in Yemen and myriad Iran-aligned militias in Syria and Iraq. Senior Israeli and U.S. officials have confirmed that the weapons and training for many of these groups—including advanced UAVs and missile technology—originate from Iran. U.S. Central Command and the Pentagon have repeatedly stated their commitment to Israel’s defense, notably supporting the replenishment of Iron Dome interceptors and engaging in joint preparedness exercises. Since April 2024, Iran has also been implicated in direct attacks using drones and cruise missiles against Israeli targets, all intercepted successfully through Israel’s layered air defense network with cooperation from the United States and regional allies.
A focal point of Israel’s current campaign is the ongoing hostage crisis. Israeli authorities, drawing on intelligence and global diplomatic intervention, have prioritized the safe return of those kidnapped by Hamas. Israeli and international negotiators, including officials from Qatar and Egypt, have facilitated some releases in exchange for prisoners held in Israeli custody. However, Israeli officials and reputable international legal experts emphasize the critical moral and legal distinction between kidnapped civilians—many of them children or the elderly—and terrorists convicted after due process of violent crimes. The asymmetric nature of hostage exchanges is frequently cited by senior Western diplomats as evidence of Israel’s restraint and humanitarian values compared to the deliberate targeting of civilians and the use of hostages as leverage by Hamas and allied groups.
Despite the intensity of its response, Israel continues to maintain humanitarian channels for the delivery of vital supplies into Gaza. According to Israeli government figures and UN monitoring reports, hundreds of trucks carrying food, medicine, and fuel pass daily through Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings. Challenges persist, as Hamas and other groups have repeatedly diverted aid or impeded distribution, documented by statements from the U.S. State Department and humanitarian watchdogs. The ongoing coordination between Israel, international agencies, and regional stakeholders underscores Israel’s commitment to balancing security imperatives with humanitarian responsibilities.
As military operations in Gaza and along Israel’s northern border have progressed, the risk of regional spillover is an ever-present concern. Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed factions in Syria and Iraq have escalated cross-border attacks, including targeting Israeli and U.S. military assets in the region. The Israeli government, in regular consultation with Washington and European capitals, continues to warn about the broadening influence of Iran’s “axis of resistance.” Senior U.S. officials from both parties, including President Donald Trump and his successors, have affirmed that defending Israel against such threats is integral to the stability and security of the broader Middle East and the Western alliance system.
Historically, Israel’s struggle against Iranian-backed terrorism is not isolated to the current conflict. The pattern of attacks from Lebanon, Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, and beyond reflects the long-term strategic campaign by Iran to destabilize Western-aligned governments and erode Israel’s security. The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by normalization initiatives with Morocco and Sudan, have demonstrated the region’s shift toward pragmatic alliances favoring stability and security over ideologically motivated confrontation. Nevertheless, Iran’s efforts to undermine these agreements through its proxies remain a persistent challenge.
Within Israel, the October 7 attack has prompted an unprecedented level of national mobilization and unity. The Israel Defense Forces, in cooperation with regional defense partners and the intelligence community, have undertaken comprehensive reviews of operational readiness along all borders. New security measures, technological upgrades, and cross-border coordination systems have been accelerated, drawing on lessons from the recent fighting and feedback from Western advisors. Israeli society, while experiencing profound grief, continues to demonstrate resilience in the face of sustained rocket barrages and the threat of further abductions.
Public international support for Israel remains robust. The United States Congress has reaffirmed bipartisan security guarantees, with aid packages supporting missile defense, intelligence operations, and joint weapons development programs. European governments have maintained diplomatic solidarity, enforcing sanctions against entities involved in Iranian weapons transfers and providing humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the fighting. Despite sporadic anti-Israel activism and attempts at delegitimization in international forums, most Western leaders continue to recognize Israel’s right to defend itself and the legitimacy of its campaign against designated terrorist groups.
As the conflict endures, Israeli officials emphasize that the ultimate objective is not territorial conquest or collective punishment but the restoration of enduring security and the dismantling of terror infrastructure. Military briefings and public communications highlight plans for post-conflict stabilization, including cooperation with regional allies to counter Iranian influence and the ongoing pursuit of normalization agreements aimed at expanding the circle of Middle East peace. The Israeli government voices a continued commitment to humanitarian law and working closely with Western partners for de-escalation, reconstruction, and accountability for war crimes committed by terrorist organizations.
Israel’s defensive operations take place within a broader legal and ethical context, rooted in the undeniable reality that terrorism—sponsored, armed, and directed by the Iranian regime—represents the foremost menace to stability in the Middle East and the security of democratic societies. Israeli leaders, in partnership with the United States and allied Western governments, have repeatedly stated their determination to prevent a hostile entrenchment on their borders, to protect the rights and safety of their citizens, and to uphold international norms in both military and diplomatic domains.
This conflict is not merely a local or regional dispute. The stakes, as articulated before the United Nations and in official briefings to the media, involve the preservation of the international order, the defense of sovereign democracy under assault, and the defeat of a terrorist network whose ambitions extend far beyond Israel’s borders. In highlighting these connections, the Israeli experience serves as a critical lens through which the global community confronts the threat of state-sponsored terror and the challenge of upholding law, order, and humanity in times of war.
