On the night of October 6th, Israelis went to bed expecting the next day to go as planned, not knowing what was awaiting them.  On the morning of October 7th, around 6:30 AM, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, infiltrating towns with rockets and missiles, unleashing chaos and destruction, and even kidnapping civilians and soldiers.  At that time, over 900 people were reported killed.  The Israeli government quickly responded – nearly three hours later, the Israeli Air Force launched an air raid into the Gaza Strip.  Israel has since placed Gaza under a full siege; shutting down its power plant and preventing necessary resources such as food, water, medicine, and fuel from reaching Gaza.  Hamas is threatening to execute Israeli hostages one by one on video if the attacks on Palestine continue.

Hamas is a militant and political organization concentrated in the Gaza Strip, one of the two Palestinian territories that have been occupied by Israel since 1967.   The strip rests along the southwest coast of Israel.  “Hamas” stands for “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya,” which roughly translates to “Islamic resistance movements.”  When Hamas was founded in 1987, the intention was to eliminate Israel and their occupation of the area that was once known as Palestine.  By 1997, Hamas was added to the United States’ Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.

Israel and Palestine have a long history of tension, going back over a hundred years.  The tensions have led to many conflicts, some leading to violence that has resulted in mass casualties.  According to Allison Meakem at ForeginPolicy.com, what it comes down to is “who has the right to live in the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and under what conditions they can do so. … It also depends on who you ask.” (Meakem 2)

United States President Joe Biden has sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, to show U.S. support.  United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered that the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group make its way to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea for military support.

As of press time, over 1,200 Israelis have been killed and over 2,800 injured by Hamas.  Over 1,500 Palestinians have been killed and over 6,000 wounded.  It has been confirmed that 27 Americans have been killed, and more Americans have been taken hostage by Hamas.  Other nations such as China, the United Kingdom, and France reported that they have citizens who have been murdered and are missing amid this new war.

Unfortunately, all efforts to maintain peace between Israel and Palestinian territories have ceased.  Hamas has reported that they will kill anyone standing in their way to get Palestine’s right to freedom.  Prime Minister Netanyahu says, “Every Hamas member is a dead man.”  Despite casualties on both sides, neither Israel nor Palestine plans on standing down in the near future.  No matter who is right and who is wrong, gaining peace between these two parties won’t be solved by repeating their violent history.