One year after October 7th, the war between Israel and Hamas continues, leaving Gaza in ruins and sparking global outrage.

Source: https://www.meer.com/en/76597-resolving-the-gaza-crisis

By: Michael Levitas

It has been approximately 1 year since October 7th, when Hamas fighters broke into neighboring cities and villages near the Gaza border, causing rocket attacks, infiltrations, and assaults. This resulted in more than 1,000 Israeli Jews killed and many taken hostage by Hamas, directing the start of the contemporary Hamas-Israel conflict.

However, my scholars say history did not start on October 7th. Dehistoricization of Palestine has always been an issue where the media will only cover the present flare-up, ignoring the historical process that created the flare-up, treating each escalation in isolation.

 Before that, the Gaza Strip was under a blockade that restricted its access to the sea, land, and air. Most Palestinians in Gaza suffered from high unemployment and limited access to supplies, healthcare, and other essential goods. Nominally, Gaza is not under Israeli occupation. Israel raised its settlements and removed the military from Gaza in 2005, but its sovereignty has continued to be undermined. Israel has justified the blockade based on national security, but many human rights groups have condemned the blockade as a violation of international law.

Since October 7th, Gaza has faced unimaginable damage to its infrastructure, people, and overall livelihood. Gaza is one of the most densely populated countries in the word, with a very youthful population, where the median age is only 18 years old. 90 percent of Gaza’s population were displaced according to sources.  Due to aerial bombings by Israel, 60 to 70% of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, with Gaza City facing the most destruction; over 50,000 Gazans and 1,700 Israelis have been reported killed, according to the Health Ministry.

The violence committed by Israel’s military has sparked widespread global criticism. Many pro-Palestinians have accused Israel of engaging in collective punishment and genocide. Protests have erupted in countries, universities, and cities worldwide. Leaders like Brazil’s Lula and Slovenia’s Prime Minister have all called for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. Israel and its ally, the United States, have defended their actions as self-defense. Israel has repeatedly claimed that it aims to minimize civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of exacerbating the death toll by using human shields.  The IDF and Israel have also experienced losses.  846 soldiers and security personnel have been killed, and 15,000 have been wounded: 8,600 with physical wounds. 1,987 have been killed so far.

The death toll, however, in Gaza is unlike anything else. 70 percent of those killed by Israel airstrikes and military have been women and children. In comparison, at the height of the Syrian civil war in 2015 and 2016, only 25 percent of the civilians killed by one count, or 37 percent by another, were women and children. In Afghanistan, women and children comprised only 46 percent of all civilian casualties in 2021.  Despite criticizing Hamas for using human shields, multiple investigations have found Israel and the IDF culpable of abducting Palestinian civilians to wear IDF uniforms and enter explosive-riddled buildings. These statistics in Gaza are staggering, which is why scholars of genocide such as Raz Segal have stated that war in Palestine can be classified as genocide as Israel finds ways to expel the population either through bombing or forcing Egypt to absorb Palestinian refugees.

Israel has been able to sustain the ongoing conflict despite the heavy financial burden due to the unwavering support of the United States, which sends $3.8 billion every year in the form of aid, weapons, and logistics to Israel. The Middle East, or West Asia, is a hostile and strategically important region, home to vast oil reserves and critical waterways. The Red Sea, an inlet of the Indian Ocean, is the heart of maritime trade. Therefore, Israel’s presence is vital to securing US Hegemony in the Middle East. Former President Joe Biden even stated that the United States would invent Israel and had it not existed to secure its interests.

Despite promising a swift victory, Netanyahu and the government have failed to defeat Hamas. Hamas has lost thousands of fighters since Oct 7th, and their main leader, Yahya Sinwar. Hamas still maintains a presence in the Gaza Strip, replacing as many fighters as it had lost, according to former Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Netanyahu has also rejected multiple ceasefire agreements by Hamas in exchange for the release of hostages, thus prolonging the conflict. Huge swaths of the IDF are struggling with PTSD due to prolonged war. Investigations have also shown that Israel knew about Hama’s attack in advance, but Israeli officials dismissed it and ignored warnings. The IDF has also shifted focus on attacking Lebanon and Hezbollah, another militant group opposed to Israel. A two-fronted war was created with approximately 1.2 million Lebanese displaced.  Israel’s promise of swift and easy victory has only contributed to further diplomatic isolation and charges of war crimes by the ICC- The International Criminal Court.

Currently, Israel and Hamas are engaged in a ceasefire agreement that includes the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. There are currently 58 Israeli hostages still left. Israel recently broke the ceasefire agreement, killing over 155 Palestinians and targeting mostly residential buildings. Israel has also once again further restricted humanitarian aid, putting many Palestinians at risk of starvation.

 According to Gallup, less than half of Americans are sympathetic toward Israel, with growing support for an independent state. The German philosopher George William Fredrich Hegel once said that the “owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.” Meaning that we can truly understand historical events and societal developments after they have already happened. In hindsight, we can see that the Hamas attack on October 7th and the ensuing war reveals both Israel’s negligence and that many Palestinians do not want to live under occupation or a blockade. In hindsight, it also demonstrates a decline in the US Hegemony.  The USA is losing its ability to manage global conflicts, and more Americans are questioning its role in foreign interventions. While the USA will criticize Russia and other countries for its brutality and indiscriminate bombings, it allows its allies to engage in little or no restraint.