Israel Palestine War | What is Happening?

Introduction

Hello, friends! Another conflict has broken out between Israel and Palestine. At 6.30 AM on the morning of October 7, while most of the Israelis were sleeping soundly in their homes, suddenly, the air raid sirens began blaring. In a short while, thousands of rockets were fired at Israeli cities. Israeli Defence Forces estimate that 2,200 rockets were fired. However, the group Hamas claims that 5,000 rockets were fired.

Israel has an Iron Dome system. It is one of the best air defense systems in the world. Whenever rockets are fired on Israel, it uses the latest military technology to intercept the rockets and destroy them mid-flight to keep the country protected. But here, 5,000 rockets were fired within 20 minutes. This Iron Dome system failed. Thousands of people were killed and injured in Israel because of these attacks. This surprise attack is the biggest in the last few decades that has been seen in the Israel-Palestine conflict. And it reminds us of the Yom Kippur War. Exactly 50 years ago, in October 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a similar surprise attack on Israel. After that, a war broke out known as the Yom Kippur War. And this attack is no less than a full-scale war.

In addition to the rocket strikes, Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack from the ground, sea, and air. The boundary wall on the Israel-Gaza border was broken down by a bulldozer. Many Palestinians were seen entering Israeli territory, some on motorcycles, and some using motor-powered hang gliders to enter Israel through the air. Apart from this, Hamas also attacked Israel from the sea using speedboats. Many events took place within a day. A military base on the Israel-Gaza border was also attacked. An Israeli tank was captured. Many Israeli soldiers were captured and held hostage by the Hamas group. And the Israeli villages and cities on the border were infiltrated by armed terrorists of Hamas. Many innocent civilians have been killed here; many are being held as hostages, and Israel has declared a state of war in response.

Let's take a look at the map to understand the context of this situation. Israel and Palestine are located in the Middle East. If you zoom in on both countries, the area in the middle is the country of Israel. The territories of Palestine are divided into two parts. One is the region of the West Bank, which is in the west of Jordan, and the other is the Gaza Strip, which is in the southwest of Israel and borders Egypt. There are many Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank, and they are considered illegal by the United Nations and many other countries. The Palestinian territories in the West Bank are administered by Palestinian authorities under the control of Fatah. On the other hand, the Gaza Strip is controlled independently by Hamas.

There has been a separate conflict between Fatah and Hamas historically. Hamas is an extremist Palestinian organization, which is considered a terrorist organization by most countries. This is geopolitically relevant because you will see how differently these countries are reacting to the current situation. If we look at the map of the current conflict, we can see that the Gaza Strip is shown in red color, and the extent to which Israeli territory has been infiltrated by the Palestinian militants is shown in blue color. Hamas military commander Mohammad Al-Deif has named this attack Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. And said that Hamas is doing this because Israel has committed atrocities on the Palestinians.

American President Joe Biden condemned this attack and said that he shows 'rock-solid and unwavering support' in favor of Israel. The foreign policy chief of the European Union also said that he strongly condemns this attack and says that according to international law, Israel has the right to defend itself. Iran, which has been one of the main supporters of Hamas, their foreign ministry said that the attack by Hamas was an act of self-defense by the Palestinians. The foreign ministry of the neighboring country Egypt said that it is talking to Saudi Arabia and Jordan in an attempt to diffuse the Israeli-Palestinian tensions. The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, told to the official news agency WAFA that the Palestinians have the right to protect themselves against the terror of the settlers and foreign troops. As I said, he is from the Fatah party, which governs the West Bank.

We hope that there can be long-lasting peace between these two countries. But looking at the current situation, it seems that this war is going to continue for a long time. I would suggest that you understand the historical context of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. What is the real reason behind it? Some communal bigots are very offended by such statements. On one hand, some people want the complete eradication of Palestine. They celebrate the attacks on Palestine. Saying that none of them should survive. Without thinking about the common Palestinians and what they go through. On the other hand, communal people are celebrating Hamas terrorists. They are happy to see Israel being attacked. They want Israel to be destroyed. When you come across such comments on social media, remember that you are a human being, not a vampire thirsty for blood. War-mongering is very easy when you are sitting far away. But think about it, if you were in the midst of this war, think about what the ordinary Israeli and Palestinian families are going through.

Israel is also trying to show that they are carrying out their counter-offensive responsibly. Recently, there was an airstrike on a 14-storey building in Palestine. But before the airstrike, Israel had issued a 10-minute warning so that the people living in the building should evacuate it before the bomb could hit it. Such warnings have been given before, like the warning given to Fatima Bashir's family before the Israeli airstrike in May this year. Although Israel claims this, the truth is that in Israeli airstrikes, many Palestinian civilians have been killed. We hope that there can be long-lasting peace between these two countries. I would suggest that you understand the historical context of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.