Skip to content
Navigating a New Political Landscape: View real-time updates about the impact of and Northeastern's response to recent political changes.
Apply
Stories

Hamas terror tactics test Israel’s war strategy

People in this story

Civilians take refuge in a bomb shelter during a missile attack in Ashkelon, Israel.

The Washington Post, October 2023

As new evidence emerges of atrocities committed by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilians, and as Israel’s military begins its offensive into Gaza, a debate is unfolding about Hamas’s long-term strategic aims and what impact Saturday’s dramatic incursion will have on the politics of the Middle East.

While the roots of the conflict are decades old, even seasoned foreign policy watchers and scholars of international relations have been surprised by the extraordinary outburst of violence. In the wake of Hamas’s killing of more than 1,000 Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government declared war on Hamas. The United Nations also framed the newly reignited conflict as war. At the same time, both Israeli and U.S. politicians, as well as other leaders around the world, characterized the Hamas assault as terrorism — an attack by non-state actors against civilians to inspire fear.

The semantic distinction is not just academic: With the carnage piquing emotions in the Middle East and beyond, new questions about century-old arguments are focusing attention on what assaults on civilians achieve for militant groups.

Continue reading at The Washington Post.

More Stories

Trump signing executive orders enacting Project 2025 plans.

Donald Trump shunned Project 2025 as a candidate, but is adopting its ideas in office

02.07.2025
A pile of pennies.

Trump says he has directed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost

02.07.2025
A pile of pennies

Is the Penny Going Away? Trump Orders Halt on Production

02.10.25
All Stories