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‘Hamas Offered Hope’: Sky News’s Absurd Analysis of the October 7 Attacks
The body of a motorist lies on a road following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ammar Awad
In a mind-boggling blend of speculation and misconceptions, Sky News military analyst Sean Bell’s latest “analysis,” says that Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel was a calculated move meant to provide a catalyst for international intervention in the intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to “perhaps kick-start progress towards an enduring two-state solution.”
In order to reach his conclusions, Bell would have to disregard Hamas’ ideology and modus operandi, the history of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the intense anti-Israel hostility that permeates Palestinian society.
Speculating that Hamas launched a war to focus attention on achieving a two-state solution is what passes as “analysis” from @SkyNews.
Hamas is open about its aims – the destruction of Israel. A two-state solution isn’t compatible with that.
Reminder to military analyst Sean… pic.twitter.com/5DfXc7Rs2c
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 23, 2023
For Sean Bell, the failure of Israel and the Palestinians to reach a peaceful solution via diplomatic and political channels, coupled with a spiraling decline in the quality of life for Palestinians in Gaza, presented Hamas with an opportunity to provide an alternative way of moving toward an “enduring peace.”
In Bell’s words, “Hamas offered hope.”
This “hope” took the form of the October 7 attacks, which Hamas calculated would unleash an unprecedented Israeli response but would also provoke international (particularly US) intervention in the region, laying the groundwork for a “more sustainable long-term solution.”
Thus, according to Bell, the vast tunnel network created by Hamas with millions of dollars of aid money was built so that the Palestinian terror organization could weather out Israel’s response while awaiting the international intervention that was destined to follow.
In Bell’s eyes, Hamas is a rational actor, providing an alternative to the fruitless path of political negotiations by engaging in barbarism and cruelty.
To make this case, Bell must ignore the fact that in the years following the signing of the Oslo Accords, Hamas engaged in a campaign of terrorism directed at Israeli civilians, the goal being to derail the ongoing peace process.
In addition, for Bell to make Hamas into some sort of advocate for a two-state solution, he also has to disregard statements made by Hamas leaders in the wake of October 7.
These statements include the remarks by Ghazi Hamad, who called for repeated October 7-like attacks until Israel is destroyed, and Osama Hamdan’s recent assertion that Hamas’ stance remains the refusal to recognize Israel’s legitimacy in any part of the land.
Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad: We Will Repeat the October 7 Attack Time and Again Until Israel Is Annihilated; We Are Victims – Everything We Do Is Justified #Hamas #Gaza #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/kXu3U0BtAP
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) November 1, 2023
Following the presentation of his faulty analysis, Bell then seeks to corroborate his claims by noting that, despite the destruction wrought by Israel’s response to Hamas’ atrocities, the terror organization’s popularity has risen in both Gaza and the West Bank.
For Bell, the reason for this hike in support is that the attacks have shone a light on the fact that Israel “has no intention of pursuing a two-state solution.”
Aside from the fact that Bell bases this assertion on the remarks of one Israeli official (hardly evidence for what Bell deems to be “Israel’s pursuit of a one-state solution”), his explanation for this burgeoning support is not borne out by the facts.
In the same poll that documented the rise in Palestinian approval for Hamas, it was noted that only 34% of Palestinians support a two-state solution, and that almost 70% of Palestinians support the use of armed resistance to achieve Palestinian goals.
Therefore, is rising Palestinian support for Hamas post-October 7 due to its causing the world to pay attention to the region — or is Palestinians’ support of Hamas an affirmation of the terrorist organization’s audacious invasion of Israel and the blow that it dealt to the Jewish state’s security?
With his rationalization of Hamas’ invasion, it would appear that Bell is almost legitimizing the terror group’s activities on October 7.
Perhaps that is why he felt it necessary to punctuate his piece with statements like “this in no way justifies Hamas’s brutal atrocities on October 7.”
However, despite his protestations, it is clear that Bell believes there was a calculated logic behind Hamas’ October 7 attack, with a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as its ultimate goal.
Along with his characterization of the attack as possibly a “prudent strategy” and his questioning of whether the tunnels are “a very astute investment by Hamas on behalf of the Palestinian people,” it is clear that Sean Bell’s analysis is steeped in a simplistic and naïve understanding of Israel, Hamas, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Is this the type of analysis that Sky News finds worthy of publication?
The post ‘Hamas Offered Hope’: Sky News’s Absurd Analysis of the October 7 Attacks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
The post Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
The post Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.