Briefing | From shock to fury

Hamas’s atrocities and Israel’s retaliation will change both sides for ever

The miscalculations of Israel’s and Gaza’s leaders are being laid bare

A plume of smoke rises from Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike
Image: Getty Images
|KFAR AZZA

THE FIRST hours were chaos. Residents of southern Israel, near the border with Gaza, woke to the sound of incoming rockets and mortars. They rushed to shelters—a grim routine in this part of the country, but a routine nonetheless. Then, a few minutes later, they heard gunfire drawing steadily closer and shouting in Arabic. That was not routine at all.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “From shock to fury”

From the October 14th 2023 edition

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