It’s been a year since October 7. On October 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed and over 250 people were taken as hostages in Israel. The operation was coordinated by HAMAS, a radical political party in Palestine, infamous for extremist tactics and use of militant force. Since then, Israel has been exerting their own military force, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the Palestinian people.
Regardless of defense, people have criticized the Israeli government for its handling since. As the Gaza Strip continued getting bombed, people began to look in and suspect that October 7 wasn’t the only thing that set the conflict off. Israel claims that the forces exerted on Palestine are in pursuit of HAMAS and the hostages, however the IDF leave their traces in areas outside of the Gaza Strip, such as Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. Calls for ceasefires have been rampant, and to this day, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has refused time and time again.
On October 31, 2023, Amnesty International, a human rights organization, reported that “The Israeli army fired artillery shells containing white phosphorus… in military operations along Lebanon’s southern border between 10 and 16 October 2023” (Amnesty). White phosphorus “is harmful to humans by all routes of exposure. The smoke from burning phosphorus is also harmful to the eyes and respiratory tract… [it] can cause deep and severe burns, penetrating even through bone,” (World Health Organization). Though the use of white phosphorus in military settings itself is not a crime, the protocols on its use states that “It is prohibited in all circumstances to make the civilian population as such, individual civilians or civilian objects the object of attack by incendiary weapons,” (UNODA). In other words, civilians being targeted is a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Netanyahu has also been infamous for spreading infamous anti-Arab rhetoric, making many believe that his attacks on Palestine have been a deliberate attempt to wipe out the people in the form of genocide. The apparent bias is dangerous, and quite frankly, is not afraid to hide. He has made statements to rile up hate and invoke fear, such as his sensational claim: “The Arabs want to annihilate us all — women, children and men,” (LA Times) made (and later deleted) on Facebook September 11, 2019.
In Palestine itself, people have been suffering. Of the reported statistics, the CNN states that this war has “killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and left Gaza in the grips of a humanitarian catastrophe,” (CNN). Everyday, people have been getting killed or injured from the constant bombing overhead, so they plead to the people for some form of support. The lack of food, clean water, and medical attention has forced Palestinians to endure or to seek refuge.
People across the globe have sparked movements, protests, organizations, and pieces about this war. To this day, it is still ongoing, many waiting for it to be over. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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