One year after it began, the Israel-Hamas war is still gripping the Middle East
Image: Fatima Shbair/AP
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attack against Israel, an event that kicked off a war which threatens to ensnare the Middle East in an even wider conflict.
Background: The surprise raid involved Hamas troops storming a dozen Israeli towns near the Gaza border. Hamas killed ~1,200 Israelis and took 251 more as hostages, in the deadliest attack on Israeli soil since 1973. In response, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched an ongoing offensive in Gaza, marked by a bombing campaign and ground incursion.
By the numbers:
- To date, the fighting has killed ~42,000 Palestinians, per Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn't disclose how many combatants but says just over half of the deaths were women and children. Israel has reported ~500 deaths from the Hamas war outside of the October 7 attack.
- ~90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced by Israeli evacuation orders since October 7, per the UN.
- Of the 251 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, 154 have been freed, including 37 dead bodies that have been recovered. 97 hostages remain in Gaza, including 33 believed to be dead.
Closer to home: The US has seen 10,000+ antisemitic incidents in the year since Hamas’ October 7 attack, per the Anti-Defamation League. That’s 200+% higher compared with the same period a year before, and the most antisemitic incidents over a year-long period since the ADL started tracking such data in 1979.
A cease-fire still appears distant
Both Israel and Hamas have been unable to reach an agreement in peace talks dating back to last November. In addition to a cease-fire, Israel is pushing for the release of all remaining hostages and a sustained military presence in Gaza, while Hamas seeks the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Big picture: The Israel-Hamas conflict has also spread across the Middle East. Iran-backed militant groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria have all fired rockets at Israel over the past year, in what they say is a bid to force a cease-fire in Gaza.
- In recent weeks, Israel has sharply escalated its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, prompting Iran to launch a barrage of missiles against Israel last Tuesday (to which Israel has not yet responded).
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that the war has served to change up the power equation in the Middle East, with Israel on the rise and Iran falling – but the saddest legacy of the Israel-Hamas war will be that it could so easily happen again.
- Others contend that neither Hamas nor the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown any sign of being truly willing to negotiate a ceasefire, regardless of public assertions by them that a deal is within reach.
- “What Oct. 7 didn’t change” –David Ignatius, WaPo
- “An elusive ceasefire deal” –NY Times-Union Editorial Board
- “A vanishing hope for peace in the Holy Land” –Colbert I. King, WaPo
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that as long as Iran pursues war, Israel must defend itself aggressively to survive – and American lawmakers should do everything to support Israel in its efforts, rather than blaming Israel for a lack of cease-fire.
- Others contend that the surest path to a lasting peace in the Middle East is an Israeli victory, preferably a swift and decisive one – as opposed to a cease-fire that will enable terrorists and their state sponsors to regroup for future misdeeds.
- “The Lessons of Oct. 7 a Year Later” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “Israel Didn’t Start the Fire” –Judson Berger, National Review
- “A year after Hamas assault, the answer for hateful college protests: Book ’em” –Quin Hillyer, Washington Examiner
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