Hamas made its contempt for Israelis evident in a music video produced early in the war, "Strike, Carry Out Terror Attacks," in which listeners were told they should "annihilate all the Zionists" because Israelis "cannot endure war" and "are like spider webs when they encounter knights." The song, written in Hebrew and meant as psychological warfare, secured the opposite effect as it became the anthem of Israeli soldiers, for whom it symbolized the bloodthirstiness against which they were fighting. Today's attacks continue the pattern of assuming incorrectly that further violence and threats will break Israelis' spirit and lead to capitulation.

Strike, Carry Out Terror Attacks