Israel and the Palestine militant group, Hamas, have been fighting over land for the past 50 years, but things have escalated in recent months.
Hamas militants launched what is now being called one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in the country’s history, with gunmen killing over 1,400 people and taking 200 more as hostages.
Israel retaliated by launching “Operation Swords of Iron,” an air, sea and ground campaign in Gaza, leading to the death of over 10,000 individuals in that region. Israel has composed a complete siege on Gaza, and residents struggle to make ends meet with little food, water and medical supplies, and with nowhere to hide from Israel’s bombs. The United Nations and various Arab states have called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of vital goods, such as food and clean water, but it doesn’t seem like Israel has any intention of letting up.
“I would say what’s happening right now is a genocide. We all classified the Holocaust as a genocide and just as many lives are being lost, if not more, in Palestine than during the Holocaust,” sophomore Dema Hamed said.
Hamas is an Islamic organization that emerged in 1987 and claims to be trying to liberate Palestine territories from Israel to take back land that is rightfully theirs. Hamas was deemed a terrorist group by the European Union, the United States and Israel.
“Israel is a country that I can get dual citizenship in and is deeply connected to my religion and family history. I don’t really see a solution where Palestine becomes a state because I don’t see a future where both sides will compromise. This being said, I want Palestinians to have a place to live, I just don’t know if this will happen because many of the big powers, such as the UN and the United States, support Israel,” senior Max Siwak said.
Due to the recent attacks 1.4 million people living in Gaza have been displaced and forced to abandon their homes in search of refuge.
“I am from Palestine and I have family living in Palestine right now. My home town was invaded, and it’s really scary to watch the news and feel powerless against the injustice happening in Palestine. I hear from my relatives that the Israeli government takes people off the street to jail, without a trial, and it is truly devastating how unfair this war is,” Hamed said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports Israel launching at least 102 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza since the initial attack on Oct. 7. Israel says they are trying to target Hamas operatives and accuses Hamas of using innocent Palestinians as human shields.
“It’s just a whole mess over there, I think war in general is a difficult time. I know it’s being reported that hospitals are being used as terrorist hideouts, but this doesn’t make the lives lost in the bombings any less terrible,” Siwalk said.
As the war goes on, the United States and the European Union have stepped in to give refugees help.
“I think the best thing people can do is spread awareness. I feel as though many people don’t know about the war or don’t know enough about it,” Hamed said. “Make sure to do your own research because there are alot of different stories going around and you need to educate yourself on a topic before just believing the first thing you hear.”
