On October 7, 2023, Hamas led out a surprise attack on Israel. Breaking through Israel’s high-tech barrier, Hamas used paragliders to fly across from Gaza and launched an estimate of 2,200 rockets on Israel. Hitting southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, 1,200 innocent Israeli lives have been killed. In response, Israel is now leading attacks on Gaza, killing nearly 2,000 innocent Palestinian civilians. Currently, 1.1 million Gaza residents have been given a warning to seek refuge in southern Gaza before my raids begin shortly.
Following the militant group's extraordinary weekend assault, Israel is hammering densely populated Gaza with airstrikes as Hamas has launched barrage after barrage of rockets against Israeli cities.
Israel's Reaction
Between October 7 and October 12, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on the area, which is densely populated. This amount is equal to all bombings carried out on Gaza throughout the 50-day 2014 conflict.
According to British-Palestinian surgeon Ghassan Abu-Sittah, children make up "between 30% and 40% of the wounded" in Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, declared on Monday that he has imposed a "complete siege" on Gaza, preventing the transport of water, food, fuel, and electricity. Israel Katz, the energy minister, has stated that supplies will be stopped unless Hamas' hostages are released.
Current Situation in Gaza
As Israel tightens its grip on the region, warnings that people are at risk of famine are being issued as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza spirals out of control.
Hamas also urged residents of Gaza to stay put, accusing Israel of waging "psychological warfare" by issuing messages directing international aid workers and Palestinian civilians to flee to the south. Exile and displacement are not for us, according to Hamas.
On Friday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) announced that its foreign employees and main operations hub in Gaza had moved to a new location south of the beleaguered territory.
While extreme, these attacks are not unprovoked. Dating back nearly seven decades, Palestinians have been fighting an endless war for land rights. What Hamas did this past week is not justified. We must recognize that our friends in Gaza and Israel need our help.
Read The Guardian’s “What are the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict” for more information on the past seven decades.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/why-israel-palestine-conflict-history
Read CNN’s “Israel is at war with Hamas. Here’s what to know” for more information on the past few weeks.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/09/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-war-explained-mime-intl/index.html