The one year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre on Israel by Hamas was just marked, and the war seems far from over. On Oct. 7, 2023, over 1,200 men, women and children were killed by Hamas, including 46 Americans. Oct. 7 was the largest massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas also took 254 people hostage that day, including 12 Americans.
Four of the Americans were released in a hostage deal that was negotiated last November. Sadly, four American hostages were also murdered by Hamas, leaving only four Americans remaining in captivity , according to a New York Times article from Oct. 6, 2024.
Tensions have increased and the war has escalated over the past few months. The Iranian government and Iranian proxies, such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, have been firing at Israel throughout the year. Israel transitioned their war strategy to target Hezbollah more in the past month. A CNN article from Oct. 8, 2024, explained that The Israeli Defense Forces have killed top leaders of the Iranian proxy groups, but many people have also deeply criticized the manner with which they are conducting the war.
A lot has changed in the past year. Antisemitism has increased by 360 percent, according to Anti Defamation League statistics from Jan. 17. Globally, protests condemning Israel’s actions have become widespread, especially on college campuses. The level of contention in America over the Israel/Gaza conflict has escalated greatly since Oct. 7, 2023.
It is still to be determined on how this war will unfold in the next few months and how long it will last, though there have been discussions across top political leaders throughout the world on how to ensure that peace in the Middle East will be achieved.
Photo credit: “IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gantz in Situational Assessment” by Israel Defense Forces is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
