By Aliyah Bozkurt
On October 7th, 2023, Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched an attack on Israeli civilians, killing about 1,200 and taking 250 hostage. In response, Israel initiated weeks of airstrikes on Gaza before beginning a ground offensive, killing thousands of civilians. An estimated 25,000 Palestinians have died since these initial attacks, according to the Associated Press(1)
As a result of international pressure, some hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023. Of the roughly 250 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, more than 100 were released, and in exchange, dozens of Palestinians were released from Israeli prisons. There are still Israelis that are yet to be released from Hamas’ control and Palestinians to be released from Israel’s prisons(2).
Gaza is currently in a state of immense humanitarian need. According to the British Red Cross, 1.9 million people have been displaced, 80% of Gazans face severe food insecurity, and over 50,000 have been injured(3). In an attempt at eradicating Hamas (who tends to hide among civilians), churches, educational institutes, mosques, and even hospitals have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes. This means that children are no longer being educated, and surgeries must be performed without anesthesia.
United Nations (UN) representatives met on December 8th, 2023, to discuss an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as well as humanitarian access and the releasing of all hostages. A resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire was vetoed by the United States, however. Later on December 22nd, a watered-down resolution was adopted instead, calling for an “immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza strip.” The US and Russia chose to abstain(4).
Initially, getting supplies into Gaza proved to be difficult. Following the October 7th attack, Israel cut off the flow of food, medicine, water, and electricity into Gaza(5). Thanks to the new resolution, however, aid trucks now more than ever are entering through the Rafeh border crossing; 260 trucks made it into Gaza on January 21st, 2024, and around 500 entered daily before that, according to the UN(6).
The war between Hamas and Israel is also impacting the world economy. Cargo ships are being attacked in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels—a group that supports Hamas—in an attempt to pressure Israel into ending the war. The ships they are attacking, however, have little ties to Israel at all(7). Because the Red Sea is no longer considered safe, ships are opting for a much longer route down the southern tip of Africa. Between lower water levels due to climate change and the war in Ukraine, this extra travel has caused costs to skyrocket. According to the UN, the average shipping costs from Shanghai have more than doubled, those to Europe more than tripled, and despite not going through the Suez Canal, shipping costs to the west coast of the US have also increased(8).
But the war has far more than just economic impacts; it has many social ones, too. Since October 7th, there has been a surge in both islamophobia and anti-semitism, according to Human Rights Watch(9). The rise in hate can largely be attributed to the intake of biased media sources and not researching enough about the conflict(10).
The land of Israel and Palestine may seem far away, but many people at Irondequoit High School (IHS) have connections to what is happening. “We have a lot of students that are directly impacted because they have family living in the Middle East, [and/or] they have family living in Israel. We have a lot of students that are new to America, and they come with a lot of history and culture. It’s very personal for a lot of people,” shares IHS history teacher Mr. Todd Fleming.
Whether or not one has personal ties to the war, it is important to approach the subject with understanding. “Don’t just look at information from one source. Try to see different narratives and points of view, like with any story or event in history. I think it’s good advice for any topic that matters or is important. You should really take the time [to educate yourself],” suggests Mr. Fleming.
Fellow history teacher Mrs. Janas Tramonto agrees, though to those interested in protesting, she advises: “Before you protest, know what you’re protesting for. Know the historical background behind things; know all the perspectives of things, otherwise, you are potentially going to be used [to achieve an agenda].”
The Israel-Palestine conflict serves as a powerful reminder to us all. “We need to care earlier about conflicts and pursue changes earlier, before things get to these extreme levels,” concludes Mrs. Tramonto.
1: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-21-2024-02caafa092668ecc7ff122229c166807
2: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-17-2024-e2d0801d61a34badca2d537808e789c3
4: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/12/1145022
6: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-01-21-2024-02caafa092668ecc7ff122229c166807
8: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145902
9: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/interview-antisemitism-and-islamophobia-spike-europe
10: https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20231121-how-does-the-media-impact-public-perception-about-war.cfm
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