Hyderabad: The US and Qatar on Wednesday announced a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas in a bid to find a permanent solution to the conflict.
As the truce deal is being worked upon, ETV Bharat revisits the recent conflagration in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas Brutal Attack On Israel: On October 7, 2023, world woke up to Hamas gunmen storming into southern Israel from Gaza and rampage through communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages back to Gaza.
The attack: On October 07, 2023, Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel, aiming to overwhelm the Iron Dome system, and then bulldozed their way through the border using explosives, speed boats, and paragliders. These terrorists targeted the Nova music festival, slaughtering attendees indiscriminately before attacking local neighborhoods. The victims included the elderly, babies, entire families, and even Holocaust survivors, who faced widespread sexual violence, torture, and death. The ones who did survive this brutality were dragged through the streets to Gaza’s underground tunnels, where they have been struggling to survive for the past year.
The Planning: Five armed Palestinian groups joined Hamas in the deadly 7 October attack on Israel after training together in military-style exercises from 2020 onwards. The groups carried out joint drills in Gaza which closely resembled the tactics used during the deadly assault - including at a site less than 1km (0.6 miles) from the barrier with Israel - and posted them on social media. They practised hostage-taking, raiding compounds and breaching Israel's defences during these exercises, the last of which was held just 25 days before the attack.Before 7 October, Hamas was thought to have about 30,000 fighters in the Gaza Strip, according to reports quoting IDF commanders. It was also thought that Hamas could draw on several thousands of fighters from smaller groups.
Hostages Still With Hamas: 97 out of 251 people abducted in Israel on 7 October 2023, are still held hostage by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, denied humanitarian visits.
Israel Invades Gaza: The Israeli military launched a horrific assault on Gaza that has so far killed 41,689 people and injured 96,625 in Israeli attacks since October 2023. (As on October 02nd , 2024) and displaced approximately 1.9 million people. Israel’s all-out war and punishing siege have destroyed Gaza’s already fragile health system, repeatedly displaced people who have been forced into smaller and smaller areas, and choked off access to desperately needed food, water, and medicines.
Destruction And Human Catastrophe In Gaza: Gaza enclave is now unrecognizable, with most areas reduced to rubble by Israeli constant bombing and ground assaults. Earlier in July 2024, a study published in The Lancet estimated the true number of deaths in Gaza could be over 186,000, taking indirect deaths – for example due to starvation and lack of health care – into consideration.
The record number of women and children killed in Gaza does not include those among nearly 20,000 people who are either unidentified, missing or entombed beneath rubble. Civilian infrastructure has either been completely destroyed or severely damaged, including around 68 percent of cropland and roads. Only 17 of 36 hospitals remain partially functional, and all suffer from a lack of fuel, medical supplies, and clean water. For children, the trauma is equally profound. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs.
Israeli Explosive Weapons Hit, On AN Average:
Homes every four hours
- Tents and temporary shelters every 17 hours
- Schools and hospitals every four days
- Aid distribution points and warehouses every 15 days
US Aid To Israel: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians, including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons, funds aid packages, and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions. SIPRI said the US rapidly delivered thousands of guided bombs and missiles to Israel at the end of 2023. The Biden administration notified Congress in August 2024, that it had approved $20bn of weapons sales to Israel.
The Extension Of The Conflict
Houthis Attack On Ships In The Red Sea: As Israel started its war against Hamas in Gaza, within no time, the Houthis of Yemen declared their support for Hamas against Israel. They started attacking ships linked to Israel passing through the Red Sea as part of their war against Israel. The Houthis have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November, 2023 acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Israel's year-long war in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The Houthis targeted the vessels belonging to other countries as well, thereby creating a major tension in the waters of the Red Sea and forcing the ships from Asia to Europe to take the longer route via the Cape of Good Hope. As a result of the Houthis attacks, the Eilat port, which managed around 8 percent of Israel’s trade, had to stop operations in November 2023. The strikes have prompted many cargoes to take a much longer route around Africa. Traffic through the Suez Canal has fallen from around 2,000 transits per month before November 2023 to around 800 in August 2024.Greek-owned ships, which represent one of the largest fleets in the world, comprise nearly 30 percent of the attacks carried out by Houthi forces to early September 2024.
Israel Clashes With Hezbollah: Tensions with Hezbollah reached crescendo, as more than 60,000 Israelis living in the north of the country were displaced. After the October 07th , 2023 Hamas attack on Israel , Hezbollah’s has been resorting to daily rocket attacks on northern Israel. Facing continuous attacks from Hezbollah, the Israeli government expanded the areas of their operation. The major objective was to bring the displaced population in the north back to their homes.
Israel shocked the World by resorting to Hybrid warfare, exploding pagers and walkie-talkies. On September 17 and 18, hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah for communication exploded in an operation the Lebanese militant group blamed on Israel. As per the Lebanese government, 37 people were killed and 2,931 others were injured in both attacks.
Hezbollah Loses Chief And Key Leaders : Israel, stunned the international community again, by killing Hassan Nasrallah in a major airstrike on 27 September in Beirut. Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed seven high-ranking commanders and officials including the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah thereby severely degrading Hezbollah’s fighting capacity and dismantling its leadership cadre.
Clashes With Iran: The shadowy war between Israel and Iran which is going on for sometime, came out in the open during the conflict in Gaza.
On April 13th 2024, the Iranian launched a direct military assault on Israel with 300 drones and missiles. This was a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria on April 01st , 2024 killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building. An Israeli military spokesman said that 99% of missiles and drones were intercepted.
Killing Hamas Political Chief On Iranian Soil: Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on July 31st 2024, when an air strike hit the building in which he was staying. Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the assassination. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised “harsh punishment”.
Yahya Sinwar (Chief of Hamas ) Killed: On 17th October Israel forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. Hamas confirmed his death while engaged in battle in Tal as-Sultan, Rafah.
Iran Response To Israel Attacks: On October 02nd 2024, Iran launched a two-wave ballistic missile attack in response to Israel’s killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week and following the July 31 assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran fired 180 projectiles causing no casualties as most missiles were intercepted, according to Israeli army reports. Iran claimed it was targeting three military bases in the Tel Aviv area.
Israel response to Iranian Strikes: On October 26th 2024 Israel pounded Iran with a series of airstrikes saying it was targeting military sites in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic
International Criminal Courts issue arrest warrant against Netanyahu : On November 21, 2024, The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former defence chief Yoav Gallant and Hamas’ Ibrahim Al-Masri — also known as Mohammed Deif — for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.
Israel And Hezbollah Announce Ceasefire: On November 27, 2024: Israel and Hezbollah agreed on a ceasefire in Lebanon.
US President Elect Blatant Threat To Hamas On December 2, 2024, the US President-elect Donald Trump said there will be “hell to pay" in the Middle East if hostages in Gaza are not freed before his January 20 inauguration.
Peace Deal Finally Reached: Finally on January 15, 2025, negotiators reached a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.
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