The Israel Hamas War

On Saturday, October 7, Hamas, an extremist militant group, launched thousands of rockets toward ten major towns in Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking over 200 civilians hostage as they broke through the Israel border fence. This attack from Hamas is due to the group's disapproval of the Israeli government's treatment of Palestine over the centuries. Still, the Palestinian civilians and the state do not support Hamas. In response to Hamas’s attack, the state of Israel declared war and launched an attack on the city of Gaza, a city that's 140 square miles and home to 2 million. Three thousand seven hundred eighty-five have been killed in Gaza due to the bombings.

The IDF, Israel Defense Force, released an immediate evacuation of the city for civilians. Unfortunately, many routes west to leave the city are unsafe. Hamas has told Palestinians to stay in their homes and is not letting them evacuate the city due to blockades. Israel has also blocked off entrance into the nation, leaving Egypt as the only means of escapeThe anger Hamas has against Israel stems from a European-made problem. This disagreement concerns the UN telling the Jewish community after World War II that they could have Israel, even though Palestinians occupied the land under UK control. The land was divided up against the wishes of Palestine not to share the nation, causing many border disputes over the land for centuries.On both sides of this conflict, many humanitarian war crimes have been committed since the beginning of the war. Such as not following the international laws of war that ensure that said party is targeting the opposition and ensuring there aren't civilians at risk. Instances of this include the dropping of bombs causing the decimation of homes and the recent bombing of the Al-Alhi hospital in Gaza that’s said to have killed hundreds. 

Six thousand bombs in total have been dropped in just one week of the war starting. Along with these continuous attacks is the lack of resources hospitals and emergency services have to rescue civilians due to the region's cut-off of supply chains, such as water and fuel. Sadly, civilians on both sides are deeply traumatized and affected by the lack of concern for their well-being as this power struggle continues. We can only hope that the poor victims and civilians involved receive the aid they need and can gain safe passage out of the city, as Hamas has not backed down from this dispute.