It is totally wrong to make an equivalence between the IDF/Israeli government and Hamas.
Hamas is a terrorist organisation with the unashamed aim of destroying all Jews.
‘This is evident in their founding charter, which cites the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion forgery as “proof” of a Zionist plot to control the world. It remains true after Hamas released a new charter in 2017, which essentially simply swapped the word “Jew” out and replaced it with “Zionist” while repeating antisemitic tropes.
Hamas abolished democracy in Gaza:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/24/gaza-election-hamas-2006-palestine-israel/
The above is a good article explaining why Hamas have always been a bad actor in Gaza.
The October attack wasn’t against a military target which incurred ‘collateral damage’, it was the purposeful planned raping, killing and hostage taking of civilians of all ages, many of whom were ‘peaceniks’.
As for Israel, they are a democratic nation and actually have Arab members of parliament. The idea of a Jewish politician within Hamas is just laughable.
Also, regardless of the background (Al Qaeda also thought they were fighting injustice on 9/11) no nation state on earth could have expected not to respond harshly to what happened on October 7th. You will also notice how quiet the Arab World was (ex Iran) in criticising Israel.
Finally, if Israel have a legitimate war aim of eliminating Hamas as a fighting force, they can’t just let them hang out in Rafah until such time as peace is agreed and then they can just reform and fight another day. It just isn’t realistic.
OTOH, I recognise Israel have some serious problems at the moment.
They have an illegitimate government and need elections as a matter of urgency. Also Netanyahu needs to face the criminal charges he is up against in a court.
They did, at least at the beginning of the war, use starvation and a denial of basic human rights (water and medical treatment) as a way of mass punishment, which is a war crime. However, they have recently toned this down (admittedly due to American pressure)
Israel is becoming increasingly a religious state and, with it, racism is increasing. The settlers are behaving disgracefully and the settlements should be dismantled.
Ultimately though, what Israel is these days will be decided after the fighting, not during it. If Netanyahu goes, they accept a two state solution and come to a compromise over the illegal settlements, then I will remain a Zionist (as much as believing the Jews have a right to a state and to be able to live safely within it). If not, I will have to distance myself and say ‘not in my name’.
But, right now, Hamas need to pay the price for their terrorist crime.