How Terrorists Are Made

I have read countless accounts of violence, including crimes committed against innocent civilians, from the practice of infanticide by ancient Spartans to the rape of Nanking. I have never gotten used to it. So after reading the grotesque violence Israelis were subjected to on October 7, I once again asked myself, how does this happen? How does someone reach the point where they can subject another human to such brutality?

Images and videos of the horrors committed on October 11 are all over the internet. They will be forever ingrained in my mind. The sadistic nature of the abuse inflicted on Israelis is obvious. But there was an audio clip released by the IDF that hinted at the underlying motivation.

In the clip, a Hamas fighter brags about killing ten Jews(likely all civilians), using a dead woman’s phone, and then calling himself a hero. His unrestrained glee and excitement and the affirmation from his parents are disturbing, but it also helps us understand how he got there.

In warrior culture, there can be an element of bravado when killing the enemy. Some warriors express it more than others — -but the bravado comes from killing an armed peer because it demonstrates the victor’s superior skill. But few warriors would elevate themselves to the status of heroes for killing unarmed opponents. The sadistic warrior might enjoy it, but it doesn’t bring…