October 7th, 2024, marked one year since the beginning of the high-tension war between Israel and Gaza. Israel and Palestine have been in conflict since 1948 because of the termination of the British mandate over Palestine and the Israeli Declaration of Independence. On October 7th, Hamas surprise attacked Israel and the conflict escalated into a world-known war.
The Hamas attacked first, killing at least 1,400 people on October 7th, 2023. Israel counterattacked this, killing over 5,000 people, including around 1,500 children. Israel then cut off all electricity in Gaza and they lost many necessary resources.
As of October 7th, 2024, Israel has over 100 hostages, half of them from the very first attack on October 7th, 2023. Israeli airstrikes have been destroying water infrastructure and wells, making clean water unavailable for most people living in Gaza. This is an example of Israel using its power and control to restrict necessary supplies and humanitarian aid, similar to how they were restricting them in 2023 by cutting off Gaza’s electricity.
This conflict has been going on for the past year, however, Israel has kept the same strategy throughout the entire war. They captured people in Gaza, made it impossible for the people in Gaza to get supplies, and invaded, bombed, and destroyed any place they believed was a hidden Gaza military base. Most of the places Israel has invaded have been schools and hospitals, taking away Gaza’s access to education, but most importantly medical care. People have had to set up hidden, unsanitary areas with medical equipment most people don’t know how to use. This has resulted in over 5,000 deaths within Gaza, due to Israel destroying all of the hospitals while destroying supplies and killing patients in the process.
Innocent civilians who are just trying to live their lives are dying day after day due to these attacks. 1,706 civilians in Israel have died while 43,061 civilians in Gaza have been killed. These people were parents, children, males, and females. They all had the same thing in common. They lost their lives way too soon. They had the chance to be happy, fall in love, and live, which has been taken away from them.
Last year, Israel took a four-day “break” or “pause” to allow the Palestinians to get food, water, and other supplies. Many thought that this ceasefire would lead to peace or a compromise, but here we are months later, with the war getting worse by the day with no signs of peace coming soon.
The most recent attack occurred on November 3rd, 2024 when Israel attacked Gaza and killed 35 more people. This attack was brutal and violent and around 300 Palestinians were injured during the vicious act.
Many Palestinians have formed groups to protest and rebel against the Israelites.
Most of the protests are peaceful, yet there are a handful that get taken too far and can end in violence from both sides. These protests have a larger range than just in Israel and Gaza, people all around the world are participating, showing how this war has become world-known and people are on both sides.
Since 2023, not much has changed in the war besides the death toll. The death count is rising each day and neither Israel nor Gaza are showing signs of backing down anytime soon. Israel still has the upper hand and continues to use that power to terrorize the Gaza Strip, while they retaliate and find new ways to survive and make it out.
October 7th, 2023 is a memorable day and will be honored in history as the beginning of this horrific conflict and the suffering and deaths of many people in Israel and Gaza. We continue to wait for the day when we get to see the remarkable end of this battle and how it will happen.
