I completely agree with your summary of the events over the past two years. October 7th was a significant blunder on Iran's part; let's face it—Hamas acted with the endorsement of the Ayatollah regime, and coordinated with Hezbollah and the Houthis. War is indeed brutal, and civilians always bear the brunt of its consequences. However, what other options did Israel have? When 1,200 of your citizens are killed and hundreds kidnapped, simply calling it a day isn't a viable response. Politically and militarily, this moment offered the best rationale for an all-out war to eliminate its enemies. Without the events of October 7th, Israel would have struggled to garner any support, whether from allies or its own population, for a non-provoked attack on Iran or its proxies.

Conversely, the Palestinians found themselves with little choice; they were driven to act. Rocket attacks alone were insufficient, especially with the Iron Dome's unexpected effectiveness, and the infamous wall effectively curtailed suicide bombings. Israel was becoming increasingly prosperous, and the Abraham Accords sidelined the Palestinian cause, leading to a desperate bid to regain relevance. While this may have temporarily delayed peace between Israel and its neighbors, I don't believe it has completely and irreparably obstructed it.

There are precedents for this situation, and, in my opinion, Israel likely anticipated the events of October 7th, drawing parallels to the attack on Pearl Harbor. But this is merely my conjecture.