The Gaza-Israel war has been going on since 1948, yet recently, the most recent conflict was initiated on Oct. 7th, continuing to worsen.
Hamas’ initial attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and 240 were taken hostage. After Hamas released their attack on Israel, Israel has made it a goal to wipe out Hamas. Since then, Israel has been constantly bombing the entire Gaza strip without concern for the innocent lives that have been taken alongside Hamas.
Currently, the war has passed more than 100 days since the conflict arose. Deaths in Gaza have officially topped 23,000 people, including about 59,604 injured. Since Jan. 11, it has been recorded that more than 10,000 of these deaths have been children.
Avah Parsi (10) says, “War is tragic, violent and takes many lives away, unnecessarily. It also traumatizes and hurts almost everyone involved.”
Investigations showed that at least 83 journalists were killed during the bombing in Gaza. However, journalists such as Motaz Azaiza and Bisan Owda have continued to make it their mission to successfully spread awareness about the real situations Gazans have been forced to experience from the war.
In November, Hamas released 100 hostages during a temporary truce, but 132 are still being held captive. Amongst them, about two dozen have passed away.
Due to the bombing, thousands of Palestinians have been forcefully displaced from their homes by the Israeli government. Gazans receive messages from the Israeli government to move to a certain place of Gaza to seek safety; however, many of these messages have been proven to be false and those locations are shortly bombed afterwards.
It has also been officially declared that Northern Gaza has been cleansed by Israel. The bombing from Israel has destroyed hospitals, refugee camps and schools.
Izzy Gurrola (10), shares, “War can have extremely negative effects on soldiers both physically and mentally. War takes a mental toll on soldiers as they have to watch many people die and live through traumatic experiences that can give them PTSD and other mental disorders.”
Israel has controlled Palestine’s food and water availability which led them to cut the civilians’ access to those necessities. Due to this and the destruction occurring, many Gazans have gone a day or more with eating or receiving the proper care they deserve.
The UN has called for a ceasefire and has been trying to help the situation by sending aid to Gaza through food and medical resources. Nonetheless, civilians are still struggling to ward off famines and disease outbreaks.
Journalists have shared their hopes for a ceasefire to be announced or for them to successfully evacuate from Gaza. Yet, even when the war is over, they will have to endure a completely new environment, mindset, and overall life due to their horrible experiences in the war.
Many people throughout the world have expressed their perceptions of the war by either protesting for Israel or the freedom of Palestine. Palestinian supporters have also grouped together to boycott certain companies that support Israel.
It is important to educate and learn about the current situations going on in the world in order to make a difference and positive impact within the community.
