On October 7th 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel with over 3,000 rockets from the Gaza strip. This conflict has been going on since 2006 and escalated more recently. Hamas is “governing the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories.”
When asked about their initial thoughts, Laura Venemon, a history teacher here at Tahoma High School said, “Surprise. And not surprised…there has been conflict in the region for decades.”
There has been wars and conflict in Gaza for many years. More recently in 2012, Hamas launched rockets into Israel much like now.
The question of how the history of the Gaza strip affected recent events was asked to Dean Peters, a history lover. His response was “History is complicated. The Gaza Strip used to be part of egypt, but got lost in a war. The way it’s been run by Hamas is a totalitarian government. People who run it are driven by the idea that Israel needs to be eliminated. A very sad place to live. Lots of poverty and lack of basic needs.”
Ms. Venemon stated, “After WWII the international community wanted to help Israel because of holocaust. That land is so important to so many people. The two plans were formed. Israel has taken the land and taken Palestine. High concentration of Philistines. Set aside as land for Philistines. Densely populated. Massively impacted civilians that wouldn’t be there otherwise.”
At this time in our world, there are multiple wars happening. Both interview subjects were asked how this war compares to the conflict in Russia and Ukraine.
“This war is much smaller in scope and could become a larger world conflict if Iran tries to attack Israel. Israel has won all wars and attacks against it. A lot smaller in scope right now. The countries involved are oil companies…People who run it don’t care about the people who live in it” stated Dean Peters.
“Ukraine was unprovoked. Russia built up their forces and planned it. But Hamas attacked Israel overnight. Both areas have had a lot of conflict. Hamas is not Palestine. All of Russia is attacking Ukraine. One group is attacking Israel and Israel is responding by attacking” state Ms. Venemon.
The United States has a significant role in this world and its conflicts. The United States has supported Israel since WWII.
Peters stated, “I think the US will play a strong role in supporting Israel. Israel has very few allies in the world. If the war goes on too long we won’t be able to keep supporting it. “Once Israel starts to invade into the Gaza strip they are trying to keep the civilians in the north side. Using them as propagandas tools. It’s war and when you have a war people die. When there’s a war, it’s a tragic setting”
The US has started to make an effort on the situation. Ms. Venemone stated, “The US has historically supported Israel. The US understands the situation. And supports. This goes back to the Holocaust and being a member of the UN. We will see to what extent President Biden will keep peace. We will see what happens.”
This war is a moment in history that will have a significant impact in the years to come. The unknown outcome will affect everyone in the coming future.
