The Israel-Hamas Conflict
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Editorial Spotlight
Alexi J. Rosenfeld
1719480400
On October 7th, 2023, Hamas militants penetrated Israeli border defenses in the country's south, killing over 1200 people and taking another 250 hostage. In retaliation, Israel began a ceaseless attack campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has reportedly killed 25,000 people and has displaced over 85 percent of the Gazan population.
The attacks of October 7th will be indelibly marked in Israeli history as the most brutal assault on the Jewish state. Despite fences and military security, the breach by Hamas militants was audacious and lethal.
Israelis, united together after the October 7th attacks, rallied under a controversial government to destroy Hamas and to bring home those that had been taken hostage.
The attackers had seized around 250 hostages, including children, the elderly and soldiers. During a brief ceasefire, less than half of the surviving hostages were released, leading to intensifying protests against the government and its war aims.
The toll of the bombardments on the Gaza Strip has been devastating. Beyond the enormous loss of life, one quarter of Gaza's population is facing starvation, and Gaza's health care system is floundering, with only one quarter of hospitals still partially functioning.
Death and displacement continue to ravage Gaza with no signs of abatement, as the conflict threatens to amplify regional tensions in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Yemen.
