Israel, Hamas War Continues

Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, 2023. Both sides have lost people, and neither side seems to be slowing down in their efforts to either get help from those around them or to continue to strike. 

Hamas struck Israel via Gaza strip as a surprise attack and has been at war since. This resulted in millions being displaced and a rising death toll that continues as the war continues. According to ABC News, 33,776 people have been killed, and an additional 84,730 people have been injured. 

Both sides blame each other for air strikes and death of the Palestinian people when the people have been in the center of conflict. Gaza has become a warzone for both the Israelis, Palestinians, and the Hamas. 

An Israeli strike struck seven foreign aid workers on their way to aid the people, on April 1, and who were killed. When others arrived to assess the damage, the only way to identify those who lost their lives was by passport, according to Time. 

Tensions in the area are higher now compared to Oct. 7 because the strikes that come out from one side or another might hit the groups trying to help those who need help the most. According to CNN’s “US reviewing Israel’s report on airstrike that killed 7 aid workers. Here’s what you should know,” article, there has been an increase of deaths from Palestinians and Israelis compared to prior years. 

The World Central Kitchens (WCK), where the seven volunteers came from, have been helping those in need of food in malnourished areas. People are in protest against those in power, and people are being held as hostages. The WCK strike was one of many failed attempts for humanitarian aid in Gaza, which have not been able to deliver aid and resources. According to Independent, families are struggling to put food on the table, many children and adults are malnourished and are forced to live on a can of fava beans or less. 

There are children who have only known war, according to the Associated Press, and two sets of parents share what they have been through to protect their children. Within Gaza, there has been a retreat of Israeli troops in Khan Younis, a city in the south, potentially allowing for people to get help from humanitarian aid. 

War is forcing many Palestinians to try and flee, yet few are able to leave. According to CNN and AP, people are struggling to get information and want to go home. The United Nations has stated that there is a famine coming, CNN confirmed, and it is in the northern part of Gaza where humanitarian aid is scarce. One quarter of the population is at risk of having food insecurity, or lack of food, approximately 576,000 people. 

“I think the biggest thing is resources, since the people who invaded have resources, and don’t give it to the people who they invaded on,” said Zachary Brandt, a marketing student at UWM. “Think if Israel was giving money to the people, then this wouldn’t have happened as poorly as it has so far, and it wouldn’t have had this much of an impact because people are getting the things that they need.”  

War has created divide between communities, and forces people to ration food. This creates a potential for environments where the people cannot return to, for example Khan Younis, and Rafa, which the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, wants to invade. That is according to the AP. 

The hostages that were taken by Hamas have not been released yet and their families have been waiting for them to go home. According to the freed hostages, they worry for the safety of women, since they could be sexually abused. CNN reported on a victim becoming outspoken about her experience in her 55 days of captivity. Families are split apart and many of those family members are worried about their children or spouses. 

Many different things have happened during the Israel Hamas war and creates tension between all groups involved. The United Nations has brought to court how Germany is aiding Israel and how it potentially becoming a basis of aiding a genocide, according to the Associated Press. Israel is denying their military campaign in Gaza is breaching the Geneva Convention, which defines the humanitarian laws and human treatment in war.