The land of milk and honey has once again found itself embroiled in a bloody conflict. In response to a large-scale coordinated assault and infiltration by Hamas-aligned terrorists, the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has formally declared a state of war and begun the mobilization of its reserves. After an estimated 1000 Hamas-affiliated terrorists breached the Gaza security enclosure early Saturday seeking to exploit the holiday of Sukkot, they began attacking nearby Israeli communities and military bases, taking hostages and killing civilians in their path.
So far, the Israeli government’s attempts to repel the militants have been met with moderate success, with many targets in Gaza being struck by airstrikes in conjunction with ground forces reportedly pushing back the terrorists and liberating small quantities of hostages such as those in the town of Ofakim. However, the military response was, as a result of the completely unexpected and unprecedented nature of the attack, still not enough to fully secure the area in the hours immediately following the incursion. This resulted in the capture of Israeli, Nepali, and potentially even American hostages and the slaughter of over 260 innocent civilians at the Supernova music festival. In addition to this, they have also gained control of Israeli military vehicles and weapons.
At of the time of writing [10/8/23 19:23 GMT], the casualties have climbed far higher than expected, with over 700 Israelis and 400 Palestinians confirmed dead and an estimated 2,000 more injured - among the dead are many foreign citizens, including 9 Americans and 10 Nepalis. The fighting still shows no sign of dying down and the casualty count will likely continue to rise, though thankfully, at a lower rate than before as the front lines stabilize with increased troop presence and foreign aid arriving from the United States, who, in addition to touting the special bond between America and Israel, is also intervening to protect the many American citizens in the area, including Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).
A building crippled by missile fire in Israel late last night
However, the United States is not the only country to have issued supportive statements to Israel, as the French, British, Indian, and countless other nations have declared support for the Israeli government in this conflict and have matched the efforts in military and humanitarian aid of the United States. Iran, Qatar, and South Africa meanwhile, have issued statements in favour of the terrorist forces while many other nations call for an end to the cycle of violence, blaming both sides. As a result of the positions espoused by the Iranian government, they too have been criticized by Western powers and have re-entered the limelight as an international pariah.
In Israel, many analysts have likened the Sukkot Attacks to 9/11 as a result of their vast scale, unforeseen nature, and profound impact on the political landscape. In fact, just as the United States experienced a wave of national favour and anti-terrorist sentiment following the events of 2001, the Israeli populace is, as has been stated by many prominent political analysts, highly likely to come together and demand significant change as retribution. Already, there have been calls for a Unity Government, including all political parties, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog stating, “Let us keep this spirit of heroism and this togetherness. It is our most powerful weapon”, indicating potential Likud support for the proposal, which has already been warmly received by the Yisrael Beyteynu and Yesh Atid parties.
Israeli missile fire on Palestinian homes in the Gaza strip
The proposed unity government would, in response to the aforementioned public calls for retaliation, continue the war against Islamic terror groups until they can achieve a direct victory in ridding Gaza, Judea, and Samaria of the conflicts that have for so long plagued them. As such, it is highly unlikely that a ceasefire similar in nature to those brought forward in the last five conflicts will be in any way accepted by the Israeli government or public, thus meaning that a full-scale invasion and re-occupation of Gaza and other Palestinian-controlled territories is presumably highly likely.
However, analysis is but mere speculation and only time can tell what will truly happen. So, until the details are laid bare, all that can be done by those of us not able to directly provide aid is express support and wholeheartedly pray for all those caught up in both sides of the
conflict.