Israel attack is Hamas imposing itself on wider Middle East diplomacy

Assault is designed to give militant group control over the Palestinian narrative as regional relationships change

There are two key questions in the immediate aftermath of Hamas's surprise assault on Israel: what was the attack designed to achieve, and why now?

Even as the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel was at war with Hamas and the other Gaza factions, it is important to understand what Hamas's military aims did not include. Hamas fights its periodic conflicts for political reasons, to shore up support in Gaza and elsewhere and to ensure its continuing relevance.