In a barrage of rockets, Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 by storming from the blockaded Gaza Strip, gunning down soldiers and civilians and taking around 150–200 hostages. As of press time, the Israeli death toll has risen to 1,400, with more than a 1,000 of them civilians.
“It was an utterly deplorable attack against the Jewish people,” said a Riordan student who wishes to remain anonymous.
The attack, while only briefly penetrating the front-line, has torn a hole in Israel’s sense of security. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, declared a state of war.
In retaliation to the attack, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) began a counteroffensive called “Operation Iron Swords,” pushing Hamas back to the Gaza Strip and encircling enemy soldiers in Mefalsim, Sa’ad, and Re’im. Re’im was also the scene of a deadly massacre of Jews, where Hamas killed 260 people at an Israeli trance-music festival.
While the Gaza Strip is already known as an “open air prison,” Israel has since escalated Gaza’s blockade in an attempt to starve out the nation. So far the UN estimates that around 200,000 Palestinians have fled since the start of the war.
Israel has also cut off food, water, fuel and electricity from Gaza, a densely populated area of land with a population that is more than 50 percent children. Israel has also dropped 6,000 bombs into Gaza in the span of six days.
As of press time, the Health Ministry in Gaza said about 8,805 Palestinians have been killed and more than 22,240 wounded. In the single deadliest incident for civilians since this war started, a Palestinian hospital hit by an Israeli airstrike killed 471 and wounded over 300.
Helena, a Palestinian-American high school student not from Riordan, said, “We are witnessing a genocide and the eradication of Palestinians. Half of Gaza’s population is under 16 years old and 1,030 of the almost 3,000 killed are children along with an additional number of babies currently injured and in makeshift hospitals.”
Helena has requested that The Crusader omit her last name for privacy concerns.
Hamas took Israeli hostages in an attempt to secure freedom for the 5,200 Palestinian prisoners who are held in Israeli prisons, threatening their execution if the Israeli military strikes civilian homes without warning.
So far there have been no reports of executions. Families of kidnapped Israelis are awaiting their return, attempting to obtain news regarding them.
Israel has been mass-mobilizing soldiers to initiate a large offensive into the heavily defended urban area. In talks between Israel and America, their prime minister Netanyahu declared, “We have to go in.”
Israel has warned a million Palestinians in the northern half of Gaza to evacuate south ahead of the invasion, although the United Nations human rights office said such a mass evacuation in only 24 hours is essentially impossible.
Helena said, “Gaza citizens are being told to evacuate but have nowhere to go and are being bombed as they try to exit…. there is no way in or out. Where are they supposed to go?”
Even so, on the morning of the initial attacks, Joe Biden declared that “America stands with Israel.” This, geopolitically, comes as no surprise, as the United States is a close ally of Israel, being the first nation to recognize their statehood on May 14, 1948. A Riordan student, who also wishes to remain anonymous, stated, “Israel, by its very nature, is an American puppet state.”
Israel has one of the most powerful militaries in the world, which is further bolstered by billions of dollars in American support. Meanwhile, all of Palestine’s armed backing comes from militant groups such as Hamas, Fatah, and Hezbollah, which are also, therefore, supported by other Islamic nations.
Truckloads of aid to Gaza have stalled as crucial food and supplies are unable to cross the border. Egypt says Israel is not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza. The Rafah crossing, a potential way for supplies to get into Gaza, is not officially closed but functionally closed off due to Israeli airstrikes. Palestinians have started resorting to drinking salty water. As Israel continues to cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel in a collective punishment, outside aid is sorely needed as the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza worsens.
Since meeting with Israel, Biden said he secured a commitment from Israel’s government to allow food, water, and medicine to be delivered to Gaza from Egypt. Forty-five trucks of aid were able to make it across the Rafah border as of press time, but humanitarian groups warn that it is woefully short of demand.
Biden also said the U.S. will send $100 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank. However, only Congress can control the funding that the U.S. gives to other countries. As of press time, the House passed a $14.3 billion aid bill for Israel–but none for Gaza.
There are fears of other Islamic-nations getting involved, as they have in the many other wars fought on the side of Palestine against Israel, such as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 6 Day War, Yom Kippur War, and others. These fears grow every day that the war rages, as Hezbollah, a military organization in Lebanon, has engaged in border clashes with Israel. Syria has also begun border skirmishes with Israel.
Another Riordan student, also anonymous for privacy concerns, said, “It’s been horrible seeing all the violence, and I hope there’s a speedy resolution.”
