On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a major attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza. This unexpected operation drew global attention and led to a series of responses from Israeli officials and their allies. Following this event, the Middle East experienced a significant escalation in regional conflicts, particularly involving Hezbollah, a Lebanese group with close ties to Iran.

The comprehensive and effective attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the al-Aqsa Flood Operation, has become a turning point not only in the Palestinian-Israeli question and the Middle Eastern balance of power but also in modern world history.

Despite Hamas announcing its acceptance of the ceasefire on Monday, Israel stated that the agreement did not meet their desired level. However, they announced that they would send a delegation to Doha for negotiations. Additionally, they indicated that the Rafah operation would proceed as planned, showing no intention to heed Washington's demands. Despite CIA Director Bill Burns being in the region for the Doha talks and the Biden administration's clear opposition to the Rafah operation, the Netanyahu government shows no signs of backing down. Reports of the Biden administration halting arms shipments to Israel, thus delaying Netanyahu's Rafah operation, had made Hamas' acceptance of the ceasefire a critical turning point. However, Netanyahu's efforts to both continue and expand the conflict from the outset pose the biggest obstacle to ceasefire efforts.

The Biden administration seems to have at least temporarily succeeded in preventing Iran's direct attack on Israel from escalating into an uncontrolled war. The White House conveyed the message to Israel through various channels that any attack on Iran should be 'proportional,' also signaling to the Netanyahu government that US support for Israel would be limited to defense. With the assistance of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Jordan, Iran's UAVs and missiles were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, making the job of the Iron Dome relatively easier. However, Iran's low-intensity and controlled attack with low-cost weapons demonstrated that in a more 'real' war, Israel's task would be far from easy. The attack, which brought the urgency of Israel's defense to the forefront, seems to pave the way for a vote on a long-delayed aid package for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan in the House of Representatives. The fact that American foreign aid could reach the approval stage thanks to the attack on Israel indicates how much the issues that bring Republicans and Democrats together have decreased.

Although Israel’s genocidal attacks and the suffering of the people of Gaza continue to occupy the main agenda of world politics, there have been important developments in Palestine recently. There are many efforts to divert the attention of people and governments from Israel's brutality. However, none of these attempts have succeeded in taking Gaza off the agenda. Even the brutal terrorist attack in Moscow did not distract the international community.

The 'immediate ceasefire resolution' issued by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) due to the United States' abstention indicates that the Biden administration's political pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu persists. Despite the White House emphasizing that the decision is not binding and that there are no changes in policy, Netanyahu canceled the visit of the delegation he planned to send to Washington immediately after the UNGA decision. The fact that the Biden administration, which has been diplomatically protecting Israel with its veto power since October 7th, chose to abstain this time suggests that the crisis in bilateral relations has reached its peak. While Netanyahu may lean towards Trump, who has advocated for ending the conflict, Trump's remarks have increased American pressure.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan. The 14 members council members voted in favor of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the council. Only the United States abstained from the vote. After the vote, there was an unusual round of applause in the council chamber, showing how much the international community wants the bloodshed to end.

In 2015, Netanyahu came to Washington to dynamite Obama's deal with Iran and made a speech in Congress. Obama was trying to delay Congress's new sanctions to make a nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu accepted the invitation of Republicans in the House of Representatives and did not coordinate his visit with Obama's White House. Netanyahu's speech at the session, attended by both wings of Congress, was repeatedly applauded. Netanyahu, who tried to end Obama's nuclear talks with Iran by imposing sanctions on Iran by Republicans and some Democrats in Congress, failed. Vice President Biden, who sat behind Netanyahu during his speech to Congress, seems to be facing a similar Netanyahu problem these days.

It has been more than five and a half months that Israel has continued its genocidal operation against the innocent civilians of the Gaza Strip. Crimes committed by Israel are protested worldwide, especially by Western citizens. Ironically, the people of Muslim countries remained silent against the Israeli atrocities. Besides the reluctance of most Muslim governments, the Arab governments in particular, it seems that Muslim people also remain largely indifferent to the suffering of the Gazan people.

Friday marked the fifth day of Ramadan. Unfortunately, there is still no cease-fire in Gaza, and Israel continues to kill Palestinians waiting for food supplies. Earlier this week, Israeli troops killed six Palestinians and injured 83 others as they waited in line to receive a bag of flour. That was not the first time, and it won’t be the last.

U.S. President Joe Biden recently said that they are working on a six-week emergency cease-fire, describing Rafah as a red line. Yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to conduct military operations in that area. The Israeli army perpetrating atrocities in Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians have been starving during Ramadan, would be a new source of shame for the world and the Muslim community. Since the U.S. exerts greater influence over Israel than any other nation, one cannot help but keep an eye on the Biden administration's (in)action.

We're talking about the possibility of Israel's attacks on Gaza triggering a regional war after October 7. Recent developments actually indicate that we are already in the midst of a regional war. However, the fluctuating intensity of such conflicts and the fact that the parties involved are not always clearly defined make it difficult to label it as a regional war. The evolution of warfare between countries, occurring in complex ways across different arenas and activating the capacities of various parties, has made traditional, all-encompassing wars increasingly rare. Many countries now prefer proxy wars due to their lower cost, lower risk, and deniability.

President Biden's message during his visit to a church in the state of South Carolina and the reactions of some protesters seemed like a summary of the dilemma he will face in preparing for the presidential elections. In 2015, a perpetrator advocating white supremacy killed 9 black citizens who came to the church for worship, a message that was discussed in the public eye as a result of Trump's message on the eve of the 2016 presidential elections. By starting his 2024 campaign with a visit to this church, Biden tried to show that black votes would be critical. By making a reference to Trump's expressions about immigrants 'poisoning' the country's blood, he conveyed the message that the real 'poison' is the idea of white supremacy. The messages given to the political electorate in South Carolina, a critical state that brought Biden to candidacy in 2016, stand out as an effort to reach out to black voters, which will play a critical role in the upcoming election.