One year after the October 7, 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel, the Gaza war has seen periods of escalation and intense violence With such a small and local source of the struggle, it has escalated to become one of the main and major conflicts in the Middle East. Another notable event occurred with Hamas attempting to breach Israeli positions resulting in a large number of casualties (1217) along with a number of hostages. The invasion was meant to target not just military buildings but also residential areas which was also included in a concert organized in a neighboring part near Gaza. It caught the people’s attention that the attack was happening against Israel without warning and this caused an unbearable response by Israel and their international partners calling the Israeli war brutal.
Despite this, Israel has made the counterattack through a military operation with the intent of taking down the necessary targets of Hamas and its command center located in Gaza. Today it is not the only party that is involved but rather an ongoing confrontation between Hamas and the state of Israel, in addition there are other entities such as the Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. The militant group that is fighting Hezbollah, supported by Iran has responded with increased military aggression against the positions of Hezbollah in Lebanon which Hezbollah has retaliated against by the Iranian support. This intensified the conflict to become a multi-fronted battle, which further escalated the situation leading to a full-on battle.
The consequences are quite severe but, especially in Gaza, they are now alarming. According to Health Minister in Palestinian enclave of Gaza, the death rate from the conflict was 41,788 Palestinians and 100,000 Palestinians were injured. The Gaza Strip is known for its dense population, and it has been targeted by Israel in a very big way with large numbers of attacks on structures that could harm the civilians like hospitals, schools and houses. Many people were in a dire state and struggled for means of survival as seen through the lack of basic service like health, clean water and food. This is not the first time that I have witnessed a possible humanitised crisis caused by such a blockade, which is already a main source of humanitarian assistance by various organisations.
In the Lebanese country, the Israeli forces have carried out a lot of attacks and the death rate is very high, in fact the number of deaths will not be seen for some years. There are also the conflicts with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah and Israel fight for control in northern Lebanon and Israel. The issue of the Israeli invasion and response to Hezbollah only increases the stakes further and exacerbates the security concerns within Lebanon, as was initially hoped. Recent operations in Lebanon include the Iran destroying several Hezbollah positions, including the positions of the group’s leadership. The death of Hassan Nasrallah, the man who rules Hezbollah, has enhanced ties between Israel and the group.
Israeli military activities commenced in January 2024 after they attacked Iran generals in Syria and the Syrian offensive which led to deaths of Homs leaders in Beirut. Nonetheless, Iranian retaliation was followed by the use of rockets to attack the positions of the Israeli forces in the Golan Heights and some other places in the Middle East. There were explosions in Tehran in July 2024 which were quite catastrophic for Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas and in a way, Iran’s support for the fight intensified. Despite this, Iran’s last major missile attack was against Israel by October 2024, where it targeted Israeli leader in order to settle the ongoing conflicts with the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas.
Disappointed with all the ceasefires, including that in November 2023, the violence continues to increase after every time. Internationally, there was a desire for truces in many countries so that peace could be found but to the date, the conflict is still on. The resolution of the conflict has been complicated by factors that include the presence of Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran as well as competition by the actors involved in the conflict.
Today, we are witnessing the rising point of the conflict in the Middle East and the regions such as Gaza and the rest in their midst. The violence has contributed to the extreme hardships faced by the civilians of Gaza Strip and Lebanon, but they also have an opportunity to turn conflict into a new source with Jordan and Egypt in the region. Even though the second year of the war is still ongoing, it does not mean that there is any end to the conflict and there are even more chances that no peaceful deal will be reached. As more countries join the list, the global public awareness about the need for immediate intervention and prevention of future escalation increases.
ㅤㅤ
