Israel-Hamas conflict: Rumblings of big trouble…Impact of Israel-Hamas conflict

The war that has been going on between Israel and Hamas for the last three months is not stopping. The stability of West Asia is continuously being affected due to the involvement of external countries including America and Iran and the pursuit of geopolitical ambitions by regional powers through proxies. , However, beyond the geopolitical implications lies the danger of terrorist violence and radicalization as a result of this conflict. Hamas’s clever use of graphic videos and photographs to illustrate the initial violence in southern Israel and then the death and destruction caused by the Israel Defense Forces campaign in the Gaza Strip has generated pro-Hamas sentiment in many countries. This has served as an incentive for pan-Islamic terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic State (IS), as well as other regional terrorist organizations. Even in South Asia, terrorist organizations and their supporters are using developments in West Asia to promote radicalization and draw vulnerable, impressionable youth into their ranks.

global perspective

Counter-terrorism experts around the world have noted that the Israel-Hamas conflict could lead to a resurgence of the terrorist threat. The nature and scale of Israel’s retaliatory attacks in the Gaza Strip have understandably generated anger and condemnation across the Muslim world. Terrorist organizations like AQ have exploited these sentiments to assert their relevance. Days after the Hamas attack on Israel, AQ’s franchises in North and West Africa applauded the attacks and called for more violence against Jews. Similarly, AQ’s Somali ally, al-Shabaab, praised Hamas fighters and called it a fight for the entire Muslim ummah. West Asian developments have already had an impact in Europe. There have been two terrorist attacks in France since October 7. The beheading of a teacher in northern France (October 13), and the stabbing of a tourist in Paris (December 3), and an attack in Brussels, Belgium (October 16, although this was clearly linked by authorities to Israel-Hamas hostilities. has not been added). These attacks have raised concerns among security agencies that the Israel-Hamas hostility is potentially acting as a catalyst for terrorist radicalization that could trigger a new wave of lone-wolf terrorist violence. This radicalization is also being fueled by the disinformation and propaganda tactics of Hamas, which is trying to generate sympathy for its actions by using explicit images and videos from Israeli ground and air strikes in the Gaza Strip. To further its disinformation and propaganda, the group has used the ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) social platform and the Telegram encrypted messaging service. Recently, researchers discovered a propaganda network of 67 accounts on the ‘X’ platform that were coordinating and spreading a campaign of posting false, inflammatory content related to the war. On Telegram, Hamas-affiliated channels regularly post violent graphics of their attacks and highlight the aspect of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli raids. This has provided ample fodder for disinformation and distorted the international community’s understanding of the exact situation on the ground.

India is not untouched by this

The situation is no different in India also. Since the Hamas attack, the security establishment has kept a close watch on the mobilization over the Israel-Palestine issue in the country, with Kerala and Maharashtra emerging as states of particular concern. For example, in Kerala, a pro-Palestine rally called by the Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM), the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, in Malappuram on October 27 saw the virtual participation of former Hamas chief Khaled Mashal. In Qatar. Although there was no call for violence at the meeting and Hamas is not a banned organization in India, the pro-Palestinian campaign in the state is being conducted in a way that glorifies Hamas and its leaders as warriors. This conflation of pro-Palestinian sentiments with pro-Hamas sentiments is worrying and provides justification for terrorist violence. Interestingly, SYM organized this event as part of its ongoing campaign titled “Uproot Hindutva and Apartheid Zionism”. According to data from security agencies, 27 pro-Palestine protests took place in Maharashtra between October 7 and November 20 in various parts of the state, including Pune, Kolhapur and Thane (Mumbra and Bhiwandi) districts. Some protest rallies were also held online.