I agree that this situation is much more complex than most people want to take the time to properly reflect upon. But your right that a lot of innocent blood has been spilled on both sides, by both sides.
I also agree and emphasize that part of getting the young people of your country to go and kill the young people of another country or another group in your country is dehumanize the other guy and elevate your guys.
The side effect of prolonged or as in this case, multigenerational war is multigenerational hate. Which breeds atrocities, and those create maryters and more atrocities, and pretty soon we have a cycle of atrocities.
This attack was worse than horrible, it was morally reprehensible. As as all atrocities are, but I think that only by avoiding the easy trap of demonization to justify more atrocities, is to break the cycle of retribution, atrocities and then retribution and atrocities.
But I don’t think the people can do it. The emotional drive for retribution is strong, and over 70 years of killing, revenge killing, retribution and atrocities suggests we don’t have the strength to stop, even if it means a better world for our children.
We are only human.