On October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli government seized attacks on Gaza, killing more than 25,000 Palestinians. According to Reuters, Hamas is an acronym from the Arabic phrase, “Islamic Resistance Movement,” which was founded in 1987 by the Muslim Brotherhood during the first Palestinian uprising. Ever since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, there has been an ongoing conflict between the terrorist group and Israel. According to CNN World, recently, on April 13, 2024, a wave of drones and missiles were sent from Iran to Israel in response to a suspected airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. Approximately 350 rockets were fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Daniel Hagari. Thankfully, Israel’s defense systems intercepted the airstrikes, and only a few missiles reached Israeli territory. In response, President Joe Biden spoke with the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, making it clear that the U.S. will stay neutral between the ongoing war in the Middle East. Who knows how long that the United States will stay neutral in this war, as it has been demonstrated many times throughout the century that the U.S. will intervene eventually, as seen in World War I and II.
Recently, on May 7, according to the Washington Post, the Israel Defense Force took control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt overnight, making its first ground raid into the southern Gaza city. However, travel and aid flow into the Strip stopped completely due to the raid. Hamas said it agreed to a Qatari-Egyptian cease-fire and hostage-release proposal, and Israel said it would send mediators to Egypt on Tuesday to negotiate a deal, but Israel’s Prime Minister said their proposal fell well below their essential demands, they were “designed” to “undermine” Israel’s entry into Rafah. According to CNN World, the Biden Administration opposed Israel going into Rafah, as CIA Director Bill Burns states, “We still believe that reaching an agreement is the absolute best outcome not only for the hostages, but for the Palestinian people and we’re not going to stop working to that outcome.” So far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 34,789 people have been killed and 78,204 injured in Gaza since this war started, which isn’t distinguished between soldiers and civilians, but a majority are women and children.
Students are asked about their opinions on the Israel-Palestine War, which many of them do not advocate for any side. Juan Paolo Francisco, a senior here at NAHS, states “Citizens of the war have nothing to do with the conflict and shouldn’t be hurt because of the two government’s rash decisions. Leave innocents out.” Many innocent citizens of both sides of the war are affected badly, facing harsh racism, antisemitism, and are being killed. They do not deserve this, nor does anyone anywhere around the world. Oscar Jurado, another senior who is also in the Senior Council, states “I feel like it’s the British’s fault, as they’re the ones who relocated them during World War II, although I see their conflict, I don’t support any side.” Oscar’s opinion is illustrated from Britain’s promised the establishment of a Jewish national home in the former Ottoman-controlled Palestine in 1917, during World War I, which demonstrates that this conflict can be blamed historically on the British. From an anonymous student, they state “I find it weird how the Arab league hasn’t attacked Israel at this point. Thankfully it hasn’t happened but it’s something they definitely would do. I am more or so looking at it from a historical perspective. No one likes war, except the military industrial complex, as to them, war equals money.” It’s very clear that this conflict has to do with historical events and situations that happened in the past, which illustrates that we society as a whole have to forgive each other, despite having many differences and conflicts.
From all this chaos, and other things happening in the world, many social movements against the Israel-Palestine War are happening in the United States, specifically on college campuses. According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, recently, in April many protestors, including students, participated in protests to boycott the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), for pro-Palestinian rights and to cut their business ties with Israel. Josiah Anderson, a member of News Crew, and a senior, was asked for his opinions on this recent protest, since he is admitted to UCLA. “I really don’t care, I’m just gonna stay in my dorm so I won’t be caught in the crossfire of the protests,” he states. It’s clear that many students don’t want to be a part of the protests, which is understandable as their education and futures are at risk. They are paying for their education, and it is being ruined by protestors who are protesting in the wrong area.
From all this conflict, and other conflicts around the world, such as the Russo-Ukraine War, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border crisis, we need to hope for the best that everyone finds a resolution to their conflicts. Although, this will be a big challenge for the entire world, as most of us cannot put things aside, especially with historical conflict that had tremendously harsh consequences to the affected communities. All we can do is pray for those who are suffering, wishing them the best, and hope that we will unite together to have the peace that we all prosper.
