On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas staged an attack on Israel that resulted in over 1,200 deaths and 134 hostages taken.
While the attack was a key turning point, this conflict has spanned from the creation of Israel in the 1940s until today.
Many Jews sought refuge after the Holocaust and turned to Palestine, however many Palestinians opposed the infringement onto their land. Unable to solve the tension and violence, the United Nations (UN) voted for Palestine to split a piece of its land as a home for the Jews and named it Israel. From there, fighting between Jewish and Arab militias only intensified. Within a year, Israel controlled most of the land. Without a peace agreement and as Israel continued to take more land, fighting continued for decades.
Since the attack in October 2023, Israel has violently retaliated. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a complete victory over Hamas and also seeks to destroy their military and the Palestinian state. There are daily reports of air strike deaths, blocked humanitarian aid and hostages taken by Israel.
Gaza and its people are currently in ruins. As of Jan. 6, the Gaza Health Ministry reports a death toll of about 47,000. Additionally, the Associated Press (AP) reports that over 2,000,000 people have been displaced by Israel’s attacks, often leading them to reside in tent camps with little food or water.
There have also been major issues involving Gaza receiving essential humanitarian aid. According to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), before the war began, Gaza would receive about 500 trucks of aid per day, which is still on the low end of what was needed. During the war, the most trucks that entered Gaza in a day was 250, but in October of 2024 the average was 71 per day. This has led to a widespread hunger issue across the country and famine conditions in Northern Gaza. This is due to Israel blocking aid from entering and also because of robbery and destruction of these aid trucks.
In response to the aid crisis, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter on Oct. 13 proposing an ultimatum with the Israeli government. This included various demands, including Israel allowing 350 trucks to pass into Gaza per day or the United States would cut arms shipments. Israel made no effort to obey this order.
As reported by Al Jazeera, an Arabic news network, there have been discussions of various ceasefires throughout the entire war. On Nov. 22, 2023, there was a successful four-day ceasefire allowing for the release of 50 Israeli hostages and 150 women and children from Israeli prisons. Netanyahu refused a permanent ceasefire immediately following this release as it did not fit with his agenda. Egypt and Qatar proposed a mediation that consisted of three phases: a six-week ceasefire during which Israel and Hamas would be able to negotiate and Israel would withdraw from Gaza allowing Palestinians to return to their homes, then an exchange of hostages, and finally the commencement of a Gaza reconstruction plan. Hamas agreed to this ceasefire, but Netanyahu refused. In December, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would call for a permanent ceasefire, which they would do three more times. In the most recent vote, 14 out of 15 council members, including allies of the United States, voted yes, but the U.S. continues to refuse until there is a resolution that is linked to a hostage release.
On Oct. 28, 2024, South Africa submitted a 5000-page document to the UN’s top court accusing Israel of genocide. A total of 10 other countries, including Palestine, Chili and Spain, have petitioned the court to join the case. Israel now has until July 2025 to respond. Similarly, the United Nations International Crime Court has issued an arrest warrant on Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas Commander Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
This conflict has expanded beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine, as Israel has shifted to combat with Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Iraq as well. Additionally, there is little progress in terms of ceasefire negotiations for Hamas and Israel, but Israel and Lebanon have come to a truce. The future of this complicated conflict is unknown, but the devastation from this war will have a lasting impact in the years to come.
