The Israel-Hamas War

Introduction:

On October 7th, 2023, nothing would ever be the same anymore. That night, the Hamas launched an air, sea and land assault on Israel from The Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 people died that day. When the Hamas took more than 240 Israeli people hostage, Israel declared war. By the start of 2024, Most of Gaza was damaged and destroyed. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come...

The History Behind It All:

In 1948, The state of Israel was created on land occupied by Jewish and Arabic-Palestinian people. The feud between these two communities created a major displacement of Palestinians. Many became refugees in The Gaza Strip. This Arab-Israeli conflict continued violently resulting in the Six Day war of 1967. In 1993, The Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization agreed to create a Palestinian state next to an Israeli state. the Hamas, a militant Palestinian group created in 1987, rejected this agreement. After the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister in 1995, The plan was completely derailed. Similar violent conflicts continued over the years until it took a small pause.

The October 7th Attack:

Mentioned before, the Hamas carried out a coordinated, 3 way attack on Israel. This took place on Shemini Atzeret, a Jewish holiday. The attack began at around 6:30AM, catching practically all of Israel by surprise. At least 2,200 rockets were hurling towards Israel that reportedly got through The Iron Dome system, the highly successful antimissile defense system. Militants crossed into civilian neighborhoods in Israel by boat and motorized paragliders. About 1,200 people (mainly Israeli civilians) were killed during the assault. More than 240 people were taken into Gaza as hostages. This includes Israelis with dual citizenship, which is causing several countries much effort to save their citizens.

Sam's Opinion:

This brutal war has resulted in deaths of more than 30,000 people, children included. Yes, Israel is suffering terribly and definitely need support , but its not the only one. While the world is wrapped up in trying to rescue Israelis, Palestinians in Gaza are on the verge of death every day. Each night, they might be wondering: "does anyone even care?" How can you help from so far away? Well, are there any people in your neighborhood who have family/friends in Gaza? They must feel terrified for their loved ones. Help them by talking to them and seeing if you could help in any way. Are there any shelters in your community where refugees are taken care of? See if you can volunteer there or donate supplies. The easiest thing? Just keep raising awareness about the war. Maybe you're thinking: why should I help Palestine? They haven't been taken hostage. As you might have heard, protests for pro Palestine and Gaza are raging across college campuses. A lot of people say rude things about these protesters. But why? Yes, they are maybe doing it a little harshly, but they're just supporting their country. Palestine needs help and frankly, the world is not really helping them. Think about that when you see these protesters. Are they just acting stupid? Or are they standing up for millions of Palestinians?

Written by: Sam Adapa

Date: 6/02/2024

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica