I reckon Hamas’ attack on Israel has probably set the Palestinian cause back by years, if not decades.

For the last how long- Palestine has been regarded as the bullied and Israel as the bully. When was the last time anyone felt sorry for Israel?

But now, so many people will, because we’re seeing images of Israeli kids being held in chicken cages, young women just walking on the street being forced into cars and abducted and civilian grandmothers being murdered.

And suddenly, the cruelty and war crimes don’t just go one way- it’s become complex. And it’s not the straight-forward, simple Palestine good - Israel bad argument that many saw it as beforehand.

Just look at what’s happened politically here in New Zealand. Palestine was this close to getting an ambassador to New Zealand, Labour had announced it as election policy about a week ago. 

Today, Chris Hipkins put a stop to that. The cause has been set back.

And that’s not even to mention the real life impact this is having right now on Palestinians in the Gaza strip.

Food is cut off, water’s cut off, electricity is cut off, medicine's cut off and the attack is on.

This will surely - at least in the short term - shore up support for Benjamin Netanyahu who is no  friend of the Palestinians and their cause, and has only made their lives more difficult.

This makes him more powerful, at least for now.

• What is Hamas and what do they want?
• Live: Hamas threatens to kill Israeli hostages; death toll rises to 1600
• Festivalgoers, children, soldiers: What we know about the people captured by Hamas
• 'Everyone here is scared': Kiwi in Israel fears husband will be called to war

Hamas has just made life for Palestine so much harder, in reality and in politics.

LISTEN ABOVE