Elad Katzir was an Israeli farmer.

But to the Islamic Jihad, a splinter terrorist group generally aligned with Hamas, on October 7 last year, he was a target.

Having been kidnapped in southern Israel and held prisoner against all protocols of International Law, Elad Katzir was then murdered - with his body eventually being discovered by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Whatever approach one takes over the war in Gaza, it is impossible to look at the conflict fairly and accurately without first focusing on the massacre that day.

This was a landmark terrorist assault by armed murderers on the civilian population in southern Israel.

The border was clearly established and there was no suggestion that the Israelis were mounting any kind of terror raid on Palestinians in Gaza.

But Hamas saw the opportunity offered by complacent Israeli security and a government focused overwhelmingly on the survival of its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The assault upon the Israeli Kibbutzim has few parallels, even in the Middle East.

There was a thin shield of Israeli security along the border, but it was mostly overwhelmed and the civilian population - men, women and children - were subject to the most vile atrocities.

It beggars belief that even the terrorists of Hamas and other organisations of similar bent, could engage in the murder and abuse of innocents as we now know for certain occurred on October 7.

Take for example the people attending the rock concert, dedicated to peace.

Murder, rape and kidnapping were the consequences of Hamas crossing the border.

The current war would not be occurring but for Hamas, almost certainly at the behest of its Iranian mentors, committing such widespread atrocities, in the certain knowledge that the Israeli response would be massive.

And why did Iran choose to push Hamas last October?

At this time, US diplomacy appeared to be succeeding in encouraging Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to recognise Israel.

This would be catastrophic for Iranian ambitions in the region.

So, let us be clear.

The Iranians in particular bear enormous responsibility as an openly terrorist regime for all that has happened in the Gaza strip.

They are a regime dedicated to creating maximum turmoil in the region.

This is part of the regime's survival strategy in Teheran.

If anyone should doubt Iranian involvement, then a glance at the presence of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria in liaison with the Hezbollah terrorist grouping will remove any doubts.

The Quds Forces constitute the Iranian regime's tactical advisory arm for dealing with Middle Eastern terrorists.

They are as much part of this war, not only in Southern Lebanon, but also in Gaza, as anyone holding a weapon.

Bloodshed overwhelmingly is on the hands of those who brought on this war.

This is not to say that the civilian death toll, including the deaths of the aid workers from World Central Kitchen, from Australia, Britain, the US and other countries, is not a stain upon humanity.

It is.

But the reality is that Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the ghastly killing of the aid workers and has accepted accountability.

It is more likely to be a dreadful mistake than a predetermined targeting.

The conspiracists will have otherwise, but the evidence of an Israeli desire to murder is non-existent.

On the other hand, Hamas is rarely if ever held to account.

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, put this clearly on April 9 last: “It remains astounding to me that the world is almost deafeningly silent when it comes to Hamas”.

The terrorists are never taken before international courts, nor is its leadership ever brought to book and held responsible.

As a matter of fact, it is utterly fascinating to examine the lives of Hamas’ so-called “wartime leadership”, living in luxury in Qatar or elsewhere.

Let us consider Ismail Haniyeh and Mousa Abu Marzook.

The question that needs to be asked and answered: are these terrorists poster boys for some in the West, either millionaires or multi-millionaires? Or perhaps billionaires?

And while tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza suffer to the extent of living in ruins with no guaranteed sustenance for families, what has the terrorist leadership actually done to mitigate the catastrophe for those Palestinians it supposedly governs?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is absolutely right that Hamas has no place in the government of a future Palestine.

This is a given.

Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong is correct in endeavouring to figure a pathway to a two-state solution and in declaring that removing Hamas from the checkerboard of Middle East politics is critical to any sense of future stability or peace.

This is not easily done, but to ignore this reality would be fatal and lead to another war in the Middle East.

Hamas started this war on October 7 in an act of malicious depravity.

These terrorists should never be permitted to inflict such horror on innocent people again.