Who are the foreign entities involved in the Israel-Hamas war?
Jack Spiegel
December 11, 2023
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel killing nearly 1,500 civilians and taking 250 Israelis hostage. Israel has since responded with intense airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza.
Since Oct. 7, over 17,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
While the two sides in this war are Israel and Hamas, there are other outside groups and nations who are involved in negotiations, back each side with money and weapons and are even holding some Israelis hostage.
Dr. Michael Grossman is a professor of International Relations at University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Grossman was born in the former Soviet Union but lived in Israel before moving to the United States.
“We need to distinguish here. There are foreign players actually involved in [the war], and foreign players that have taken advantage of the situation,” Grossman said. “In terms of foreign players involved in it, I don't really think there are many. I think Hamas is doing what Hamas is going to do for Hamas’ purposes.”
Iran
At the beginning of the war, high-ranking Iranian officials congratulated the ‘Palestinians’ who carried out the attack on Oct. 7. Grossman, though, doesn’t believe that Iran supports Hamas out of support for their desire to wipe out the Jews.
“Iran certainly backs Hamas, but it backs them for purely utilitarian reasons. Hamas is Sunni, Iran is Shia – as far as Iran is concerned, Hamas is apostates, they should all be killed,” Grossman said. “In fact, they’ve referred them as animals a couple of times.”
As peace talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel were ramping up, this war comes at a good time for Iranian security. If peace between the Saudis and Israelis is made, the Saudis gain substantial security benefits from the United States, which would pit much of the Middle East against Iran.
While the government has not officially stepped into this war, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have. The Houthi Rebels are a militant group based in Yemen, but have the support of the Iranian Government. Their official slogan is “God is great, death to the U.S., death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam.”
Last week, the USS Carney Naval Destroyer shot down multiple drones in the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command. The commander of the Houthi rebels said that the attack was in solidarity with Palestinians. The U.S. Navy also foiled multiple attempted hijackings of Israeli-adjacent ships in the region.
Hezbollah
Hezbollah is another militant group located in Lebanon in the same vein as Hamas. The Council on Foreign Relations describes it as “driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East.”
While Hezbollah has launched a small number of missiles at Israel during the course of this war, Grossman does not see this as their main objective.
“Truthfully, Hezbollah's more interested right now in governing Lebanon,” Grossman said.
Grossman sees both Iran and Hezbollah’s involvement in this war as them taking advantage of the situation, rather than benefiting from it.
Footage of Israeli Defense Forces’ air strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. (Via IDF)
Qatar
Qatar is playing a pivotal role in hostage negotiations. As of Nov. 27, 69 hostages have been released from Hamas captivity, with Qatar being the mediator. Their hands are tied, though, Grossman said.
“Look, they spent the good part of the last 60, 70 years using Israel as a foil. For a lot of these countries - They're not democratic, they're authoritarian countries, their economies are – in a lot of places – a complete mess,” Grossman said. So, what they've been doing very often is saying, look, our legitimacy lies on our opposition to Israel.”
As much as they are opposed to the Israeli government, the Qataris are certainly not supporters of Hamas.
“They have to condemn Israel,” Grossman asserted. “I'm 100% sure that deep down inside, it would love to see Israel destroy Hamas.”
Non-Governmental Organizations
The United States is a critical ally of Israel. They are not only major trade partners, but also critical military partners. According to TIME Magazine, the U.S. also supplies Israeli forces with Iron Dome missiles, small shells and aircraft.
In the U.S., there are also non-governmental organizations that offer support for Israel and guide domestic policy. Alon Mor is a national board member for the Israeli American Council, a group dedicated to strengthening the Israeli-American community.
The IAC has 26 regional offices across the U.S, and they have a political arm and an educational arm.
“On October 7, everything changed,” Mor said. “We raised a few million dollars for different projects in Israel: feeding the families that lost their houses. Getting military equipment to Israeli soldiers right at the beginning of the war. Donating funds to hospitals.”
Most Israeli hospitals were unable to handle the thousands of people in need of treatment after the Oct. 7 attacks. The IAC raised millions of dollars to support various hospitals in the region.
The political arm of the IAC is focused on working with elected officials who support Israel on strengthening their positions, and pressure those who do not support Israel to do so.
Another major focus of the IAC is combatting antisemitism. Since the Oct. 7 attacks, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 337% increase in antisemitic incidents.
Tthe first and most foremost thing is to recognize that it's there,” Mor said. “If this was any other group that was going through the same thing, it would be called hate.”
This has been the deadliest war in Israeli history. While exact counts won’t be clear until the war is over, estimates are currently showing over 20,000 casualties on both sides (military and civilian).
Other Arab nations
Across the Arab world, nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia have forcefully condemned Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, but Grossman thinks it is all utilitarian.
“They're going to verbally condemn Israel, but really they want Hezbollah dead now they want Hamas dead,” Grossman said. “Hamas is collected through the Muslim brotherhood, and let's not forget, Egypt overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood government after the Arab Spring.”
The Muslim Brotherhood is a group in the Middle East that believes in establishing a theocratic state in Palestine. The brotherhood is about as democratic as it gets in the Middle East, Grossman said.