On Oct. 21, Israel allowed a minor amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a Palestinian territory, for the first time since the resurgence of the conflict between the two nations. A few weeks ago, the organization Hamas launched a surprise attack (from Gaza) on the surrounding areas controlled by Israel. This surprise attack caught the Israeli troops off guard and the Hamas soldiers passed right through them and poured into the surrounding villages and towns, killing 1,400 Israeli citizens. 

This incident prompted Israel to declare war on Hamas vowing to not only damage the organization but to destroy it. Since the war began, Israel has put many tanks, armored vehicles, and foot soldiers on its border with Gaza, where Hamas mainly resides. It is widely believed that soon Israel is going to launch a full-scale ground invasion of the territory. As a result of this war, the 2.3 million people living in the Gaza Strip have been facing a huge humanitarian crisis as they have no food, water, or electricity.

This hostility between Israel and Palestine has been ongoing since 1947 and this latest series of attacks has reignited the anger and resentment between the two. When Hamas launched their invasion, they told CBS their motive was “to not just relieve Palestinians of the occupation of the West Bank and Israel’s blockade of the Gaza strip, but in fact, strike at the heart of Israel.” To retaliate, Israel has kept up an intensive bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip supposedly trying to hit “military targets” but consequently, has also hit many civilian targets killing as many as 5,700 civilians and injuring 17,000 as of Oct.25. The war has also sparked protests worldwide and a higher rate of hostility towards Jewish and Muslim people. This story is still ongoing with new developments springing up every day.