On Oct. 7, Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, launched an unprecedented attack by sea, air and ground on Israel. Rockets hit Israeli cities and thousands of militants crossed the border fence that separates the Gaza Strip and Israel. Israel formally declared war on Hamas on Oct. 8 and ordered the evacuation of civilians near the Gaza border.
Hamas is a Palestinian branch of the organization Muslim Brotherhood. The group calls for a Palestinian state instead of the state of Israel and they disagree with all agreements made between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel. They are primarily located in the Gaza Strip and areas of the West Bank.
The origins of the current conflict between Palestine and Israel dates back to 1948 when Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion claimed the modern state of Israel. The state served as a safe place for Jewish people fleeing persecution and seeking a homeland which they cite to have deep ties over.
For Palestine, the abundance of Israelis blocked their hopes of statehood and resulted in them dispossessing the area. They were forced to flee their homes and ended up in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel still holds the claim that they did not drive Palestinians from their homes and says they were attacked by five Arab states the day after Israel’s creation. There has been no formal peace between Israel and Palestine ever since.
One of the main conflicts between Israel and Palestine that have caused off and on fighting since 1948 is a two-state solution. A two-state solution would be an agreement that creates Palestine as an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that runs alongside Israel. Hamas, a heavy militarized group, has rejected this agreement and Israel will only allow this agreement if Palestine demilitarized so it poses no threat to Israel.
The Gaza Strip is a 25-mile-long by 6-mile-wide enclave, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east and Egypt to the south. Gaza is one of two Palestinian territories and the other being the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It is bordered by walls and fences from Israel. It holds more than two million Palestinians and 1.7 million of those are Palestinian refugees.
The strip has been held under a blockade from Israel and Egypt since Hamas gained control of the territory in 2007. Israel controls its airspace, shoreline and what goods can cross the border.
Conditions in Gaza have already been on a steady decline. About 63% of people in the Gaza Strip are food insecure and dependent on international assistance. With 81.5% of the population living in poverty, clean water is unavailable for 95% of the population.
Now in 2023 after the surprise Hamas attack, Israel has declared for a complete siege of the Gaza Strip. This entails cutting off water, food and power supplies, and sending continuous bombardments hitting schools, mosques and hospitals.
As death tolls rise in Gaza, Israel will not break the siege for humanitarian motives. The energy minister Israel Kratz said “electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter” until Hamas releases their hostages. The United Nations have condemned the Israeli bombardment as “collective punishment,” which is a war crime.
On Oct. 13, Israel announced that civilians have 24 hours to flee the northern part of Gaza to the southern part of the Gaza Strip in preparation for their upcoming ground invasion. This entails 1.1 million people fleeing across the strip. A United Nations spokesperson said, “The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
In Gaza, the number of deaths rose to 1,799, and there have been 7,388 wounded, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health on Oct. 13. Israel said on Oct. 12 that 1,300 people were killed during rocket attacks and deadly raids into Israeli territory. More than 3,000 people have been wounded. 27 of the deaths have been identified as American citizens.
The National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said on the number of Americans being held hostage in Gaza, “right now, we think the number that we know, or we believe are held hostage, is very small, very small, like less than a handful. But that could change over time.”
The United States, a long-standing ally to Israel, has said “There are no intentions, no plans to put American troops on the ground in combat,” Kirby said to reporters at the White House during a press briefing. “There is no interest from the Israelis,” he added.
“We are consistently and continuously consulting with them on their needs. What they have asked of us is to expedite security systems so that they are able to defend themselves,” a U.S. senior defense official said.
The White House has not seen any evidence there are external actors looking to take advantage of the Israel-Hamas war. On behalf of The White House, Kirby said, “We haven’t seen any other external actor indicate a willingness or readiness to widen and deepen this conflict.”
The U.S. will continue to support Israel in the ongoing conflict and is strategically trying to get any Americans out of Israel safely.