On October 7, Hamas gunmen infiltrated Southern Israel, breaking through Israel’s fortified fences. The Hamas gunmen killed 1,400 people in raids on military posts and civilian communities, including a music festival, taking hostages to Gaza. (BBC) Now, Hamas Militants have around 239 captives. (NBC)
The war between Israel and Hamas started on October 7, 2023. An operation, “Al-Aqsa Storm” was from Hamas who sent thousands of rockets towards the towns of Israel. (CNN)
In retaliation, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian people are living.
It is important to mention that Palestine and Hamas are separate from each other, because Hamas is a terrorist group, while Palestine is a state full of people.
Hamas started the war with Israel on October 7, 2023. What happened was “Al-Aqsa Storm”, which was an operation by Hamas that sent thousands of rockets towards the towns of Israel. (CNN)
There have been conflicts between Israel and Hamas for centuries but the actual war between Israel and Hamas is a little newer, considering it started last month of 2023.
More than 2 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip is a small piece of land in between Israel and Egypt. It is a very restricted space for a large number of people to live in.
Civilians are being killed and the death toll in the Gaza Strip is near 10,000. At least 4,100 of those 10,000 unfortunately include children. 2,350 are missing, and some of them might have buildings that are trapping them.
According to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, during the military campaign in response by Israel, more than 10,000 Palestinians died. (CNN)
There was a mass destruction of homes in the Gaza Strip. Around 43% of all housing units in the Gaza Strip have been at least damaged, if not destroyed. Even schools, hospitals and mosques are being bombed. Over 51% of Gaza’s educational facilities have been damaged, and over 600,000 students no longer have access to an education.
Israel and Egypt’s blockade on Gaza controls the movement of people and goods, both into and out of the territory. Israel has banned the entry of food, water, and fuel into the Gaza Strip. Residents are struggling with shortages and power is running out. The water system is also collapsing for Gazans, and they have been drinking dirty water. People are worrying that they could die from dehydration. Israel has accused Hamas of placing themselves in areas with civilians and even using them as human shields- more than 4,000 of those killed are children. (CNN)
According to Time, “There are reports of two sisters who can’t hear bombs coming and a 60-year old woman confined to a blanket in a shelter because her wheelchair broke during an evacuation.”
Hamas is a Palestinian group that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Hamas wants to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas has had several wars with Israel ever since it has been in power. Hamas has already attacked Israel, and another important fact to know is that they have sent troops into Gaza already which happened in 2008 and 2014. (BBC)
A common question is, “Why are Israel and Gaza at war?” Hamas rules Gaza, [In their own ways, Hamas rules Gaza by military and Hezbollah rules politically] which is a terrorist group focused on the destruction of Israel. Militants in Gaza have had a few wars with Israel, to which Egypt has kept a partial blockade on the strip in order to stop the attacks from the rockets being sent to cities in Israel. But this year, it has been the deadliest year for Palestinians [in the West Bank and East Jerusalem]. There have been restrictions and military actions that are in response to the attacks on the people of Israel. (BBC)
While the United States is one of Israel’s closest allies during this war, there are some people in the United States who deeply disagree.
The U.S. has been getting criticism from opponents at home, along with protests to cease fire from around the world. (CNN) A cease-fire is the act of suspending fighting, for example, peace or a truce. People are protesting for a truce to end a horrible and violent war.
Some of these protests are occuring in the United States itself, where people protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s military campaign. These people feel betrayed by Biden because they want Palestine to be free.
“We thought he would represent us, but he doesn’t,” said 27 year-old Jinane Ennasri, a New York resident, “and our generation is not afraid to put elected officials in their place.” (PBS)
The people in the United States who feel upset that Biden supports Israel regardless of the Palestinian deaths are causing some to rethink about who they will vote for during the 2024 presidential elections. (PBS)
The Israel-Hamas war is still going on, and it is greatly impacting our world as other countries are supporting either Israel or Palestine. The war continues in its reign, and there is no certainty when it will end.
