Aftermath of Watan Tower from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, via Wikimedia Commons
On Saturday Oct. 7th, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that has been in conflict with the country of Israel for years, launched an attack on southern Israel. Simultaneously, the group engaged in an ongoing exchange of thousands of rockets across the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, a densely populated enclave. This area is home to over 2 million Palestinians who have lived under a tight land, sea and air blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.
On Oct. 7, dozens of Hamas fighters crossed the security fence on Israel’s border on motorcycles, paragliders and cars killing 260 Israeli civilians at the Nova music festival while simultaneously attacking 22 other locations in southern Israel. The militant group also took around 210 Israeli civilians hostage: including women, children and the elderly with the threat of execution. This attack is considered the worst civilian massacre in Israel’s history.
The attack is also known as a failure of military intelligence on the part of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) — one not seen since the Yom Kippur War of 1973, where Israel fought a war with its southern neighbor Egypt. Jews and Arabs have feuded for over a century over who has the right to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
In retaliation to Hamas’s attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, and the country mobilized over 300,000 military reservists. Although it has not happened at the time of writing, the Prime Minister is preparing the Israeli Army for a ground invasion of Gaza, something which has not happened since 2014, as most battles with Hamas are conducted from the air.
The United States, Israel’s largest provider of military aid, has pledged its support in the defense against Hamas. The U.S. has a deep stake in the conflict, as at the time of writing 27 American citizens have been killed in Israel, and many have been taken hostage. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last Monday, “We will be flowing in additional Iron Dome interceptors so that [the Israelis] have the capabilities they need to sustain their Iron Dome defense systems… We’re also looking at other ways that we can help augment their air defense capabilities.”
In response to the outbreak of warfare, the United States sent the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group into the Mediterranean Sea. The Strike group’s presence in the area is meant to deter any surrounding countries from joining the fighting. The ships also serve as intelligence for early warnings of attack to Israel, as well as the transfer of weapons.
Human rights organizations have accused both parties in the conflict of committing war crimes throughout the fight. Human Rights Watch pointed out that Hamas’ indiscriminate rocket fire, targeting of civilians and hostage-taking are all violations of the Laws of War. The group also criticized Israel, pointing out its method of targeting civilian infrastructure with no apparent military targets in the vicinity. It also criticized Israel’s racial policies towards the Palestinians in Gaza, The West Bank and East Jerusalem, which human rights organizations have called apartheid. Human Rights Watch has also reported on Israel’s use of white phosphorus in the Gaza Strip, a type of incendiary munition that can cause severe burns to people and structures.
Conditions for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been worsening day by day. The Israeli government has imposed a full blockade of the Gaza Strip, preventing food, fuel, water and electricity from reaching Palestinians there. The blockade caused a full blackout, with hospitals in Gaza running on diesel generators. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, emphasized that “crucial life-saving supplies, including fuel, food and water, must be allowed into Gaza.” The Human Rights Watch group emphasized that “Israeli authorities’ cutting off electricity to Gaza and other punitive measures against Gaza’s civilian population would amount to unlawful collective punishment, which is a war crime.”
On Oct. 11, Gaza’s sole power plant went out. According to Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem, “The lack of electricity is expected to affect care for 1,100 dialysis patients and 100 premature babies, as well as 58 laboratories and the blood bank. On top of that, if the refrigerators currently used to store hundreds of bodies stop working, there is a danger of diseases and serious harm to public health.” In addition to this, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has stated in a press release that over 37,000 pregnant women in Gaza are expected to give birth with no electricity or medical supplies.
The Israeli military has employed a technique of leveling entire neighborhoods in Gaza as opposed to single buildings. According to B’Tselem, thousands of tons of bombs have been dropped on the strip. As of Saturday, Oct. 21, according to the UN, 1.4 million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza, with nearly 566,000 of them sheltering in 148 United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) emergency shelters.
There is no indication of Hamas’ plans to release all of the 200 hostages it has taken. However, on Oct. 21 it was revealed that Hamas released two American hostages that were captured on Oct. 7, at the beginning of the war.
According to U.S. Officials, an American team of experts is on the ground in Gaza working to share intelligence with Israel that might be helpful for the hostage crisis. Additionally, a charter flight to evacuate U.S. citizens has left Israel for Europe.
As of Friday, Oct. 20, over 1,400 Israelis have been killed — the majority being civilians. Countless more have been injured. On the Palestinian side, more than 5,087 people have also been killed, over 2,704 of those being children, according to Amnesty International.
West Chester University President Christopher M. Fiorentino sent an email to the West Chester community on Oct.13. The email emphasized that the University “stands firmly against any acts of violence that target innocent lives in all corners of our world.” The president made clear that WCU’s paramount concern is to support all students and members of the community who are affected by the situation in the Middle East.
“We must always be a supportive learning community that takes care of our students and each other,” Fiorentino said. “We are one.”
He encouraged affected students to take advantage of the Counseling Center. The center can be reached at (610) 436-2301, and the Valley Creek Crisis Center is also available at (610) 918-3100. Also, encouraging students to reach out to the National Crisis Line if needed, which can be reached by dialing 988.
“Further, the State Employees Assistance Program (SEAP) is available for all faculty and staff of West Chester who would wish to seek support.” The confidential service is available 24/7, free of charge to employees.
Disclaimer: All of the figures cited in this article should be assumed as undercounts due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation in the Middle East.
Josh Czaja is a first-year Political Science major on the International Relations track. JC1029473@wcupa.edu