When attackers barraged Israel with approximately 5,000 missiles, Israel found itself in a state of war following the October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The incursion comes after decades of wars and conflicts between the two countries. In response to the airstrikes, Israel launched its own set of attacks, killing over 1,900 and injuring 7,700 more.
“I’ve given directives, first and foremost, to clear the [affected] urban areas of the terrorists who penetrated them…I urge the public to follow strictly the directives of the military, the Home Front Command. We are at war and will win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Israeli-Palestinian tension dates back to 1947, when the United Nations (UN) enacted Resolution 181, dividing the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. This plan ultimately birthed the state of Israel and proceeded to spark the first war between Palestine and Israel. Since the resolve, Palestine has continued to lose land, resulting in 5.9 million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries, according to the UN.
The countries have attempted to put the tensions to rest, allowing Palestine to self-govern with the 1993 Oslo Ⅰ Accords, and withdrawing Israeli military presence with the Oslo Ⅱ Accords. By 2000, Palestine launched a five-year intifada, which translates to “get rid of” in Arabic. The intifada resulted in a short-stinted removal of Israeli troops, which lasted less than three years.
In 2006, Hamas began winning elections in Gaza, a city five times the population density of Atlanta with over 50% of the population under 18 years old. The 2.2 million people in the 140-square-mile Gaza Strip have remained blockaded by Israeli forces since Hamas took over office. Gaza remains separated from the rest of Palestine’s West Bank, with the strip bordering the Mediterranean coast The government has maintained control over the strip and at times held power in the West Bank, which covers the majority of Palestinian territory. With the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip and the far-right Israeli government, the two states appear nowhere near reconciliation.
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford to supply munitions for Israel following President Joe Biden’s “unwavering support” for the Jewish nation. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and the National Security Council have begun to push Congress for quick action to fund the needs of Israel and Ukraine alike.
“I think anything is a possible draw to us. Like, for example, if there was an attack on us or an attack on a NATO country, then we would have to respond in force. So we could get pulled in, just by the support that we’re sending in,” retired US Navy Commander Phil Pascoe said.
The US and European Union classified Hamas as a terrorist organization due to the attacks against Israel. Methods such as suicide bombings and rocket attacks as well as the use of incendiary balloons strongly correlate to the behaviors of other Islamic terrorist groups. Lebanese terrorists from the Hezbollah militant group have supported Hamas throughout the conflict and have fired rockets at Israel since the October 7 attack.
“This is a tragedy. It’s an utter, utter tragedy. I’m particularly concerned about civilian loss of life in terms of hostages being taken, because that is obviously a violation of things like rules of war. I’m also very concerned about retaliation against Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and also the West Bank because there are already limitations in terms of healthcare and things like water and sanitation,” AP Comparative Government teacher Carolyn Galloway said.
Both sides face accusations of war crimes including rape, kidnapping and torture tactics. Over 3,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have died since the attacks and the International Criminal Court has kept an open case against the two parties since 2021.
UPDATE: Gaza hospital blast kills hundreds
October 17, a Palestinian hospital in the Gaza Strip exploded and each country placed the blame on the other. Hamas estimated 500 deaths from the blast at al-Alhi hospital, and a video confirmed by the Associated Press displayed the hundreds of belongings and bodies scattered in the surrounding field. A significant number of young children died in the tragedy.
Prior to the attack, over 3,000 people sought refuge in the hospital known as a “haven of peace” according to its website. The explosion occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. Early that morning, the hospital crammed 1,000 patients into the facility after Israeli troops warned Palestinians to evacuate their homes.
Hamas blamed Israeli airstrikes for the attack, but Israel refutes the accusations. Israeli officials pointed at radar evidence which they claim proves the attack came from Jihad, an Islamic militant group with close ties to Hamas. Chief Army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari represented Israel’s stance. He claims Israel does not produce the weaponry needed for such an explosion.
“(We) confirmed that there was no IDF (Israel Defence Forces) fire from the land, sea or air that hit the hospital…Most of this damage would have been done due to the propellant, not just the warhead,” Hagari said.
UPDATE: Officials hold jihad responsible for Palestinian hospital blast
Wednesday, October 18, Israeli officials released an alleged audio recording of Hamas militants discussing the explosion at al-Alhi hospital the day prior. The intercepted audio sounds off the militants’ realization that allies in the Jihad group fired a rocket that either fell off trajectory or fragmented in the air. The Israeli military also displayed a video of the rocket shooting toward Israeli territory and turning back in the direction of the hospital.
The United States National Security Council (NSC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also found sufficient evidence to conclude that a rocket caused the explosion and Israel did not fire the weapon. In the assessment, they also found the blast started at ground level. Further NSC and FBI assessments proceed slowly due to the body recoveries and limitations to American access. Immediately upon his arrival in Israel, President Joe Biden pinpointed the tragedy on an “errant rocket.” Currently, information on what truly occurred at the hospital remains unclear and investigators continue operations to uncover the aftermath.
“It happened in a courtyard just outside of the hospital where it’s hard to figure out numbers because of the destructiveness of the event that occurred. Video can obviously be doctored and you have to be very cautious about misinformation,” Galloway said.
