By: Parker Taft
In the early morning hours of October 7th, 2023, nearly 50 years since Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian forces crossed over the borders of Israel, starting what would become known as the Yom Kippur or October war, another war began this time between Israel and Islamic militant and terrorist organization known as Hamas, over the Hamas controlled territory the Gaza Strip.
In Operation Al-Aqsa, Hamas militants from their Al-Qassam brigades stormed across the Israeli border, attacking military and civilian targets in a lightning campaign that left Israel reeling. Preceded by the all too common rocket barrage involving almost 5,000 projectiles, according to the BBC, Hamas terrorists infiltrate Israel using powered hang gliders, motorbikes, and disguised vehicles; their target is any and all Israelis, but specifically military bases and civilian population centers. Israeli Military bases caught unawares were overrun within minutes, resulting in horrendous casualties for the IDF and Israeli police forces, which generally operate these border checkpoints to protect Israel from such incursions. According to the New York Times, even a military motor pool and intelligence data and communication centers were overrun within minutes. Elsewhere, Hamas began the systemic massacre and abduction of Israeli and other nations citizens in the surrounding Kibbutz’s ( small agricultural communes) and other communities. Most notably, the attack on the SuperNova music festival at Re’im saw 260 festivalgoers murdered while dozens more were abducted and taken back across the border by Hamas, according to ABC News. According to the Associated Press, as of October 26th, 2023, Israel has suffered more than 1,400 killed and more than 200 abducted. Many of these casualties were civilians, mostly babies, children, and young adults living in the settlements surrounding the Gaza-Israeli border. The number of U.S. Citizens killed in the attacks stands at around 30.
Despite being caught flat-footed, Israel’s government and the IDF responded quickly to the developing situation, with the IDF issuing security alerts within an hour of the incursion and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring a state of war. Within 2 hours, Israel had called up 300,000 reservists, the most since the 1967 Six-Day War, and begun conducting airstrikes in Gaza. Despite this and the ordered evacuation of Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, it took until Tuesday, October 10th, before it regained control of the areas surrounding it. Israel also shut off electrical power, fuel, food, and water supplies to Gaza and tightened its existing blockade, saying it would not lift the blockade or restore power and water until the hostages had been released.
The international response to the attacks has been one of wide condemnation of the terrorist attacks and support for Israel. Both the U.S. and E.U. reaffirmed their material and spiritual support for Israel, and President Biden ordered the deployment of the Eisenhower and Gerald R.Ford Carrier Battle Groups to the Eastern Mediterranean to be joined by the UK’s HMS Queen Elizabeth battlegroup and potentially France’s aircraft carrier battle group as well. President Biden also ordered the re-supply of Israeli military munitions and provided logistical and intelligence assistance. Meanwhile, Iran has roundly applauded the attacks as justified retribution by the Palestinian people against their oppressors, and other Islamic militant groups like Hezbollah and several Syrian militias have engaged Israeli forces along the Golan Heights with rockets. Resulting in Israel unilaterally bombing Aleppo and Damascus International Airports.
Israel has drawn major condemnation from the international community for handling the resulting humanitarian crisis caused by the war; according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 7,028 Palestinians had died in Israeli airstrikes, with thousands more injured. Water and critical medical and food supplies have become scarce while more than a million Palestinians have fled their homes after Israel gave a 24-hour notice to evacuate northern Gaza. Some Arab countries have accused Israel of deliberately provoking a humanitarian crisis to clear Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Israel responds that its only aim is to annihilate Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza who continue to threaten Israeli security. The UN, Red Cross, Red Crescent, and other relief organizations have been stockpiling relief supplied for Palestinian refugees at the Rafah border crossing that sits at the border between Egypt and Gaza.
The major concern is that the war will spin out of control and escalate to the wider region. Saudi Arabia has broken off U.S.-mediated talks with Israel to normalize diplomatic relations, while Iran’s foreign minister met with the Emir of Qatar to discuss joint action if the zionist atrocities continued. Jordan and Egypt stated that they believed Israel’s actions in Gaza stepped over the line from self-defense to atrocities and deliberate attacks on the civilian population. Israeli strikes into Lebanon and Syria, as well as drag nets and security operations in the West Bank, haven’t helped this perception of Israel indiscriminately retaliating against Palestinians to CNN the U.S. The National Security Council warned that a prolonged conflict could risk spiraling into a wider Middle Eastern war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have been jostling for hegemony in the region for decades. China and Russia have condemned both the attacks and the Israeli response to them, with China offering to mediate a peaceful solution to the differences between Israel and Palestine, according to the South China Morning Post. Additionally, anti-semitic incidents and hate crimes have seen a global uptick since the conflict began, and leaders of Hamas called for a worldwide attack on all Jews.
In the West, support for Israel is not unanimous, with many students, academics, and social justice groups condemning Israeli actions and blaming them for causing the conflict in the first place. This has rightfully drawn condemnation from many Jewish community organizations and politicians, leading several CEOs to black-list university students who support this message. These students and organizations have also faced doxing attacks from pro-Israeli hacking groups, which has led to the release of the identities and personal information of individual members of these organizations.
The reason for the Hamas attack is abundantly clear, thanks to captured military documents: it was to deliberately inflict as many civilian casualties as possible in a blatant act of terrorism in contravention of all laws of war. Israel’s response has been equally brutal as befits such a heinous attack. But the worst part is the immense human suffering inflicted on everyday Palestinians and Israelis, who are the true victims. In this latest cycle of Middle Eastern violence, the civilian population will again bear the cost of blood and lives. Where this war is going and its outcome is uncertain, but we know that this conflict will indelibly reshape the Middle Eastern political landscape, as the Yom Kippur War did 50 years ago.