GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Israel has formally declared war on Hamas, after an unprecedented attack by the Gaza-based militant group over the weekend. Israel is vowing to lay total siege to the Gaza Strip, as Hamas pledges to kill captured Israelis if attacks target civilians without warning.
FOX 17 recently spoke to Michael Harris, who lives in West Michigan, to get another perspective on what has been happening. Harris is a professor at Tennessee State University. He grew up in Israel, and also served in the IDF, retiring as a major.
According to Harris, the attack was something that has never been seen in Israeli history. Harris also said that many people are comparing what happened to the Holocaust.
“This was an unprecedented attack that has Israel suffered tremendous casualties, probably 1,000 killed, murdered, over 2,000 injured, and over 100 in captivity, wiped, the entire south was taken over in a terrible surprise attack,” said Harris. “The thing I’m interested in most is, why did it happen?”
Harris also said that people are currently unable to leave Gaza. “Israel itself is smaller than New Jersey, there’s no coming in and no leaving Gaza right now,” said Harris.
Harris said that the reason Israel wasn’t prepared was because they didn’t think Hamas would attack, which he called “a strategic mistake.”
“No one believed, with all the billions that Israel poured onto their border, their electronics, the landscape, whatever Israel did there, yet Israel believed that there will, won’t be attack, and they came with bulldozers, push down the fences early in the morning,” said Harris.
Harris has another personal connection to what’s happening, since his wife is currently in Israel. He says that his wife is safe right now, and that she is being sheltered heavily at night. He also has communication with friends and family members that are there too.
Harris also says that he hopes people remember that this was an unacceptable attack on civilians. He also said that the United States will have a major role in how the conflict will end.
