Overview of the Israel-Hamas War
As the Israel-Hamas War is taking place, it has made American blood spill. On October 11, the National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that 22 U.S. citizens have died in the war so far, which is an eight-person increase from the 14 that were reported dead the day prior. But those 22 people weren’t the only ones in danger as U.S. citizens are part of the evaluated 150 hostages that were captured by Hamas militants.
On October 7, the Hamas started an assault on Israel, more specifically in the Gaza Strip. President Joe Biden has stated the war has taken thousands of lives in a matter of three days. This has been the deadliest conflict between the Hamas and Israel in about ten years. Biden has said that the raid that was conducted by the Hamas was one of the most lethal against Jews since the Holocaust. And he also called it a campaign of “sheer savagery.”
Additionally, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that the kingdom was taking measures internationally and regionally to make the war less intense. The Prince has also stated to need to halt all Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Hamas has said that for every unannounced missile attack by Israel, it will end up with one hostage dead. Saudi Arabia has shown and said they are supportive of the Palestinian’s cause and its efforts to reach peace.
So far, the Palestinians have blocked off the Gaza Strip. But the people who are inside of the city are trying to find places to hide and very few rescue teams are inside the city trying to find survivors under rubble after the Israeli bombardment.
Deeper into what’s going on in Gaza
As Hamas sent thousands of rockets to the Israeli towns and broke through the fortified fence in Gaza, they sent gunmen who murdered hundreds of people. Those people included civilians and the Israeli military. These attacks by Hamas were unpredictable tactically due to Israel not having fought enemies in their own land since 1948 in the Arab-Israeli war. Israel has never fought a terrorist attack on this scale with so many lives being taken.
The iron dome was used to help defend against all the rockets that were sent by the Hamas. The Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system that has 10 batteries that carry three missile launchers. It defends against rockets, mortars, and even drones with a radius of about 60 square miles. The defense system first detects the threat within 43 miles and then sends that information to a control center which calculates the spot of impact and predicts if it will hit a habited area. If it is predicted to hit an urban area, then the control system will fire a missile to intercept the threat.
Retaliation
The Israeli military has been retaliating against Hamas by sending continuous airstrikes. These airstrikes have made 340,000 people leave their homes and crowd U.N. schools and local safe neighborhoods, which are decreasing rapidly.
Israel has said they have been giving notices of the strikes before they launch them. But Israel is thinking about bombing whole neighborhoods instead of singular buildings. Additionally, the Israeli militia hasn’t sent a ground assault on the Gaza. And Israel is still deciding whether they will send an assault. But they have been blocking Hamas supply packages such as food, water, and fuel.
And the U.S. is sending Israel necessary munition and military equipment. They also have the Pentagon checking inventory to see what they have a surplus of to send over to their allies.
By Samuel Cruz
Sources:
CBS NEWS: U.S. confirms 22 Americans dead as families reveal details of Hamas attacks in Israel
KCRA3: As desperation in Gaza grows, Israel says it won’t allow aid to flow until Hamas releases hostages
Reuter: Saudi Arabia ‘making unremitting efforts’ to reduce Gaza tensions -crown prince
CNN: Visualizing the Israel-Hamas war
CNN: Israel is at war with Hamas. Here’s what to know
Wttw: What to know as the war between Israel and Hamas continues
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of David Berkowitz Flickr Page–Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Alan Wilson Flickr Page–Creative Commons License
