Israel is vastly superior in a military sense, and could stop at any moment with no real negative consequences to itself.
The reason why Hamas was able to breach Israel's defenses on 7 October was because Israel had moved most of its troops into the West Bank, where it is busy repressing the Palestinian population, and because Israel ignored repeated warnings about an upcoming Hamas attack.
But stepping back, the reason this conflict exists in the first place is that Israel refuses to leave the occupied Palestinian territories. It is building illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and it holds Gaza under a crippling blockade that makes life miserable there. The Palestinians have been subjected to what may be the longest military occupation in modern history, and they will continue to resist until Israel gives them their freedom.
The Palestinian territories were (a) conquered by Israel after they won an unprovoked war and (b) only exist because Israel surrendered them partially. In no sense is it an occupation. Gaza, for example, was once part of Israel but it was only through Western interference that they were made to give it up, with now-known-to-be disastrous consequences.
The fact that they were conquered does not make them not occupied. In fact, it's exactly the opposite. In the post-WWII era, territory cannot be acquired through conquest.
> an unprovoked war
Israel initiated the 1967 war with a surprise attack on Egypt. They claimed it was preemptive, though whether Egypt was really going to attack Israel is very much in doubt. Israel itself played a major role in the tensions that led up to the war, and was constantly launching attacks into neighboring Arab territories.
> In no sense is it an occupation
Pretty much every expert in international law, international body, and country disagrees with you.
> Gaza, for example, was once part of Israel
Gaza has never been part of Israel. It wasn't even part of the biblical Israel (which has nothing to do with the modern state of Israel, anyways).
> only through Western interference that they were made to give it up
I can't even imagine what you're referencing here. No such thing happened.
Israel is vastly superior in a military sense, and could stop at any moment with no real negative consequences to itself.
The reason why Hamas was able to breach Israel's defenses on 7 October was because Israel had moved most of its troops into the West Bank, where it is busy repressing the Palestinian population, and because Israel ignored repeated warnings about an upcoming Hamas attack.
But stepping back, the reason this conflict exists in the first place is that Israel refuses to leave the occupied Palestinian territories. It is building illegal settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and it holds Gaza under a crippling blockade that makes life miserable there. The Palestinians have been subjected to what may be the longest military occupation in modern history, and they will continue to resist until Israel gives them their freedom.