Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, has said the attacks by Hamas – and their surprise effectiveness – will have a transformative effect on the Middle East and stakeholders across the world.
“You could say that we’ve just lived through 10 hours that shocked Israel and the Middle East. These are a dramatic 10 hours that are a game changer in this region,” he said.
“They will transform and reverse much of the strategic military and political calculus of both Palestinians and Israelis, as well as most of the countries involved in this whether through partnership or normalisation or as enemies of Israel,” added Bishara.
How Israeli intelligence agencies missed the surprise attacks by Hamas is likely to be investigated after the fighting ends, former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin told Al Jazeera.
Several analysts have told Al Jazeera that Israel is well known for its sophisticated intelligence capabilities and close monitoring of Palestinians, making the attacks even more unexpected.
“I believe that when it ends, then there will be inquiries and people will be asked tough questions, eventually there will be decisions about it,” Beilin said.
