We’re a year on from the despicable terrorist acts of Hamas.

As the Middle East descends into all-out war, dragging in more and more countries, slaughtering countless innocent civilians and polarising ‘official’ support across the western world, can anyone see any positive benefits that have resulted from it? Just one? Or where it will end? Me, neither (other than Netanyahu retaining his power, but that’s not positive is it?).

One has to have a grudging admiration for the Israeli government’s network of spies, computer experts, military etc, who apparently have the ability to accurately geolocate and fatally target virtually any and every member of their burgeoning enemy leadership along with the ability to infiltrate, arm and detonate a vast network of pagers and other electronic gadgetry across a whole country. That can’t come cheap.

With that level of commitment, expertise and infiltration, it’s astounding to believe how an increasingly unpopular and extreme right-wing government, with a leader officially indicted for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud, leading him to legally relinquish his ministry portfolios other than prime minister, could have possibly not known about that 7th October attack. And therefore, how it was allowed to happen.

That’s not a conspiracy theory you understand, merely astonishment.

Mike Potter, Pickering