The conflict between who owns the land of Israel has been strongly debated since the beginning of recorded history. After World War ll and the Holocaust, on May 14, 1948, the Jews were finally granted a homeland, Israel. On October 7th, 2023, missiles were fired into Israel by Hamas. Members of Hamas parachuted into a music festival and killed hundreds of innocent civilians. They also murdered many individuals including children who live near the border and took many people hostage. Israel officially declared war on Hamas, and the fight has left many wounded, and dead. Although this war is horrible, fights over this land have occurred since the beginning of time.

After the Ottoman Empire collapsed during WWI, the League of Nations gave Great Britain a mandate for the land that was then called Palestine. The Mandate required Britain to uphold the Balfour Declaration’s decree of a “national homeland for the Jewish people,” alongside Palestinian Arabs who made up the majority of the local population. Due to Nazi persecution, the number of Jewish people coming into the region increased during and after the war. (Editors of Britannica 2).The struggle over the land continued and triggered the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 which supported the creation of 2 states. The partition was rejected by the Palestinian Arabs. And in 1948, the Arab-Israeli War occurred. The UN was able to get 2 cease-fires but the fighting continued into 1949. Israel was victorious and gained some territory that was formerly given to the Palestinian Arabs under the UN resolution. Egypt and Jordan gained control over Gaza and the West Bank until 1967 when another war broke out again, this time Israel vs Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Israel won and gained more land. (Editors of Britannica 3) In 1973, a coalition of Arab states surprise attacked Israel and after the fighting concluded, it paved the way to the Israel-Palestinian peace process which has been challenged consistently since. 

On the morning of October 7th, thousands of missiles were launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip which killed many innocent people. On October 8th, Israel’s president declared war against Hamas. As the previous section in this article has shown, Israel and the Gaza Strip have had a history in the past. A terrorist group called Hamas, which is a military wing of the Gaza Strip, organized this mission to send missiles into Israel. From when the missiles were launched until now, many innocent people have been killed in this tragic war. Not only did Hamas send missiles to Israel but they also came into Israel in trucks and started taking hostages. The hostages ranged from babies and children to elderly women and men. According to the New York Times, there have been 240 hostages taken by Hamas and only 4 people have been released so far. An American Israeli mother and daughter and two Israeli women have all been released from Hamas(Vinograd and Kershner 1). According to CBS News Israel’s Iron Dome has a structure that can pinpoint missiles and block them from entering Israel by intercepting them (Chasan 1). You would think that this system could stop all the missiles from entering Israel, but since so many missiles were launched into Israel it was too much for the iron dome system to handle all at once. The iron dome stopped many of the 4,500 missiles launched but could not stop all of them. These defense mechanisms and the fence separating the Gaza Strip and Israel could not stop Hamas from attacking.

Westport has been taking many actions to help those in Israel. One example of this is the Chabad in Westport created a fundraiser for the Israeli soldiers. People could come and donate sleeping bags, jackets, electrolytes, and much more! On the field in front of the Westport library, a candle lighting for Israel took place. Rabbis from all different parts of Westport came together to give speeches and pray for the Israelis. Even people of other ethnicities, such as a priest were there to pay their respects. Many colleges around the US are also having sit-downs and protests for Palestinians. On November 14th tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets of Washington DC to commemorate Israel. It was a very special moment for these marchers and an important day in America.

The Gaza Strip will likely continue to be fought over for many years ahead, and the war going on right now continues to injure and kill more and more people. We can only hope for the safety of these innocent people, and that this saddening fight will soon be concluded.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/article/israel-hostages-hamas-explained.html

https://www.gov.il/en/departments/general/declaration-of-establishment-state-of-israel

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-israel-iron-dome-intercepts-rockets/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/15/middleeast/gaza-history-explained-intl/index.html 

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-2023-11-11 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Israel 

https://www.campaignlive.com/article/ad-agency-chiefs-offer-support-staff-israel-hamas-attack/1840385