Thread by @DanielBShapiro

1. The brutality & viciousness of Hamas on was on full display this morning: A heavy-payload rocket launched against a civilian community. It's intent was murder, and it nearly succeeded, destroying a house with a family of 7 inside. Miraculously, they were wounded, but survived.

2. Why take this shot now? Having barely avoided an escalation with Israel after a previous launch just over a week ago? In the closing phase of an Israeli election? With PM Netanyahu on his way to Washington? It's not because they don't know what's coming.

3. It's precisely because they want to provoke an Israeli response. That response will be justified. No gov't can allow families sleeping in their beds to be struck by terrorists' rockets &not respond. Israel will try hard to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas hopes they will fail.

4. Why? Because Gaza has lately seen the most serious protests by Palestinians against Hamas' rule it has ever faced. It has cracked down brutally, with arrests and savage beatings. But no small numbers of Gaza residents have shed their fear of saying "Enough!" to Hamas' misrule.

5. Having failed to quell the protests with a violent crackdown, Hamas chose a new tack. What better way to distract their public, and turn their ire away from Hamas and back toward Israel, than to provoke a heavy Israeli response?

6. A rocket fired at Tel Aviv 10 days ago that was intercepted didn't do it. So bigger guns were called out. And a family in Mishmeret, likely out of Iron Dome's current coverage zone, very nearly paid with their lives.

7. When Israel responds, Hamas will try to overwhelm its people's disgust with Hamas with anger toward Israel. Civilian casualties, if they occur, will only help them.

8. In this way, Hamas' utter disregard for both Israeli &Palestinian civilian lives is most evident. They target Israeli civilians: the definition of terrorism. And they see both Israelis & Pass as pawns, tools to perpetuate their soul-crushing rule of the people of Gaza. End.