Israeli intelligence missed this attack This is the second big miss for Israel regarding Gaza. The first was the extensive and sophisticated network of tunnels out of Gaza which they stumbled on (literally) during the Gaza war in 2014.
Israel has internal politics, as do we (just peruse this thread!). Elect a Liberal and Israel gets soft on Palestinians policies, and tunnels get built with impunity as Hamas and Hezbollah stockpile weapons until they get a critical mass of ordnance. Elect a Conservative like Bibi and Pali violence is met with a 10X blow.
This is what we see unfolding before us this black day. This has been going on since what, 1948? Back and forth. My primary fear is what happens when the Palis get the idea that they can actually win this?
That added sense of conviction is what makes this an existential crisis for Israel.We have a stake, we have supported Israel since there was a modern-day Israel after the Holocaust. They are one of our must valued Allies.