A few days ago, a conflict began between Israel and the Hamas. Hamas is the Arabic acronym for “Islamic Resistance Movement.’’ Hamas wants to create a Palestinian state; it rejects any peace deal with Israel. Ali Barakeh, a senior Hamas official, said that the October 7 attack was in response to “Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and the West Bank” and to “break the blockade on the Gaza Strip.” He also mentioned that it was meant to “free thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.” Hamas had stated well before the attack that they wanted to “resist Israeli occupation and seek revenge for Israel’s 2021 raid on Islam’s third holiest site.”
“This battle was very secretive; the planning and execution were kept secret,’’ is what a Hamas representative, Barakeh, told NPR in an interview. He also said that the time that the plan was going to start was confidential and that no one outside of the Hamas knew about it. Hamas tried to convince Israel that it didn’t want to fight by lying for two years and keeping its military under wraps. The Israelis were under the impression that Hamas didn’t want to fight and weren’t worried about them while Hamas fighters were training; this was all a part of the Hamas plan.
Hamas decided to attack when the Israelis weren’t worrying about them and focused on what was happening in the West Bank. While a lot has been going on in Gaza; people haven’t been focusing on what’s happening in the West Bank. Over the past week, 55 Palestinians have died in clashes with Israeli troops, arrest raids, and attacks by Jewish settlers. “U.N. monitors said it was the deadliest week for Palestinians in the territory since at least 2005.” West Bank is under a tight grip by Israeli forces as they take measures to prevent attacks.
On October 7th, Hamas militants started a surprise attack from the air, sea, and ground. At the same time that thousands of missiles were fired from Gaza, hundreds of armed fighters charged into the cities. As people rushed to safe rooms and bomb shelters, militants entered houses, killed residents, and took others as hostages. Women and children were put into vehicles and driven back into Gaza.
Authorities cut the electricity to the region and blocked fuel, and food from going to the Gaza Strip. Thousands are at risk of dying as the amount of supplies and fuel gets lower in hospitals. “The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded since the fighting erupted, more than the 2014 Gaza war, which lasted over six weeks. That makes this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for both sides.” Within two days, Gaza is expected to run out of generator fuel. A lack of supplies, fuel, and food might end the lives of thousands of people.
Some Americans who were in Gaza were taken as hostages or killed. 30 Americans have been killed and many others are missing. President Biden is currently working to try and find the American hostages and retrieve them. ‘“I’ve directed my team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts. Because as president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world,” Biden says.” He has also summarized the murders committed by Hamas fighters, which included the slaughter of men, women, families, and babies.
As of October 22nd, Israel has still been bombing Gaza and recently bombed a hospital, resulting in many deaths. Many people have started protesting worldwide to support Palestine and are waving Palestinian flags. Israel has also conducted a raid in the West Bank. This raid led to three Palestinians dying, including two children, and many others being arrested. “Since the latest war began, 69 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank. U.N. monitors are describing the period as the deadliest phase since they started recording data.” Israeli forces also raided the West Banks refugee camp, which led to at least seven Palestinians dying at the hands of Israeli forces. Israeli forces prevented ambulances from retrieving the wounded during this raid as well. Hamas has freed two American hostages even though the airstrikes on Gaza have continued.
This war has only been escalating, and it only seems to be getting worse. It will only worsen if Israel’s airstrikes don’t stop and people in Gaza keep dying. People worldwide are protesting to show that they aren’t supporting what Israel is doing, and many are getting arrested. More and more Palestinians die every day, and it seems like the number will only continue to rise. Only time will tell the outcome of this war, and hopefully, it will be for the better. As of now, we should keep watching out for new information and stay educated on what’s happening in the world around us.
