On October 7, 2023, a conflict brewing between Israel and Hamas turned into a much larger war. Tens of thousands of people were killed. Hamas, a militant group in Palestine, launched an attack on Israel by breaking through a border security fence and taking down Israeli civilians and soldiers who were on guard at the time. Other members of the group stormed beaches in Israel on different types of boats. They also reached Israel through paragliders. This attack devastated Israel by killing more than 1,400 civilians and injuring over 4,500 people. As a result, Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip. They conducted air strikes across the Gaza Strip, which also killed hundreds of people ever since the conflict has gone back and forth between Israel and Hamas. As of now, more than 11,100 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Israel has cut off all resources going into Gaza as a result of this conflict. They will continue this until Hamas releases the Israeli hostages they are holding. Hamas stated that the group would start eliminating the hostages one by one and filming each execution if Israel did not stop shelling homes in Gaza without warning.
Gaza is located between Israel and Egypt. It is the main area where the attacks were initially launched on October 7th. Though this devastating war seems to be the beginning of a fight between Israel and Hamas, there have been many conflicts in this area dating back to the 20th century. From 1947 to 1948, when officials tried to partition Palestine into two states, intense conflict broke out over this resolution, beginning the Arab-Israeli War. Since then, there has been ongoing tension and fighting. Now, more recently, this fighting has turned into a full-scale war. Violence between the two sides has not reached this extent since the Palestinian uprising that ended in 2005.
Throughout this, President Biden stated on a phone call to Prime Minister Netanyahu that “the United States has Israel’s back.” Biden has traveled to Israel, symbolizing the strength of America’s diplomatic and economic relationship with them. Many U.S. administrations have proposed different peace solutions, resulting in two separate states. The United States has long been an ally of Israel, providing them with military aid and international diplomatic support.
On October 15, ABC News Live stated that the situation is “as bad as it can get.” Innocent civilians have been killed in both areas. In addition, violent protests and peaceful marches are being held worldwide. This widespread conflict has impacted many, even those not living in areas directly affected. All of this is devastating, as innocent humans are oppressed and killed day after day. The violence must end.