Israel and Gaza

What is Happening?

Thousands have been killed and injured in Israel and Gaza since the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated on 7 October.

Over one million people have fled their homes, infrastructure has been damaged, healthcare facilities are not fully operational, water has run out at UN shelters across Gaza and protests have broken out across the globe

Why is this Important?

The tragic events over the last week are the culmination of decades-long hostilities in this disputed region. There is concern that this conflict could escalate to include the wider region.

As children of God, these events should break out hearts, causing us to cry out to God as we intercede for peace in the Region. The act of cryting out to the Father is fervent expression of faith in God and trust in His goodness and power to act.

• For aid to reach those in desperate need and for the preservation of lives
• For the Load to frustrate the plans of those who stoke violence, hatred, and tension on both sides and for a de-escalation
• For believers to pursure peace-making in the midst of this conflict and for God to raise up influential peacemaers that Jesus would revel Himself as Messiah to the Jews and Muslims that they may experiecce the unifying love of the Prince of Peace

2023 Israel–Hamas war by Wikipedia

On 7 October 2023, an armed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip after the latter launched a multi-pronged invasion of southern Israel. After clearing Hamas militants, the Israeli military retaliated by conducting an extensive aerial bombardment campaign on Gazan targets, and followed up with a large-scale ground invasion of Gaza. More than 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, and more than 10,000 Palestinians, the majority being women and children under the age of 18, have been killed in the fighting. Over 240 Israelis and foreign nationals were taken hostage and brought into the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-led attack began in the morning of 7 October, as Palestinian militants in Gaza launched a barrage of over 5,000 rockets against Israeli cities and kibbutzim while some 3,000 Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier.

Over 1,000 Israeli civilians were killed in more than a dozen massacres, including the Re'im music festival massacre, and military bases were attacked. Over 200 civilians and Israeli soldiers were captured or abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip. At least 44 countries, mostly from the Western world, characterized the massacres of civilians as terrorism.

Hamas declared that the invasion was carried out in response to the "desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque", the Gaza Strip blockade, the construction of Israeli settlements, and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israel declared a state of war on 8 October, and its response to the attack has seen the most significant military escalation in the region since the Yom Kippur War. The current hostilities constitute the fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict, which is part of the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

In 2023, before the offensive started, an uptick in Israeli–Palestinian violence saw at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, and two foreigners killed. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, as of 6 November, over 10,000 Palestinians had been killed, including 79 UNRWA staff. A total of 6,000 bombs were dropped by Israel during the first six days of the conflict—nearly double the number of bombs dropped by the American-led CJTF–OIR in one month during the War against the Islamic State.

There has been widespread killing of civilians, and human rights groups and a panel of United Nations special rapporteurs have accused both Israel and Hamas of war crimes.

Fears of a humanitarian crisis were heightened on 11 October, after Israel announced it would cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies to Gaza, on top of the existing blockade imposed by both Egypt and Israel since the 2007 Hamas takeover. Israel urged 1.1 million Gazans to evacuate northern Gaza, while Hamas called on residents to stay in their homes and, according to the Israeli military, blocked roads leading to southern Gaza.

The United Nations reported that around 1.5 million Palestinians, over 70% of Gaza's population,[40] as well as over 200,000 Israelis have been internally displaced.[58] A vote at the United Nations General Assembly on 27 October saw an overwhelming majority of countries calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The U.S. stood with Israel in rejecting the non-binding resolution.

A week earlier, the United States had vetoed a more binding resolution in the UN Security Council. On 28 October, when the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza began, aid agencies renewed warnings of an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with UNICEF spokesman commenting that "Gaza had become a graveyard for thousands of children. It was a living hell for everyone else."

There are acute shortages of drinking water, food and fuel in Gaza. The Gazan health system is failing; nearly half of all hospitals are out of service due to shortages of fuel and power, and amputations and C-sections are being performed without anesthetic due to shortages of medical supplies. The war has led to intense global protests that have focused on a variety of issues including demands for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and opposition to the actions of both Israel and Hamas. The protests against Israeli actions in Gaza in particular have been described as the largest anti-war protests since the Iraq War protests.