Since Oct. 7, 2023, tensions have prolonged between Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization and the governing body of the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli Defense Forces as the conflict continues to spill over into Lebanon and Iran.
On Oct. 26, 2024, in retaliation to a barrage of Iranian missiles, Israel launched strikes into Iran. The targets were missile manufacturing sites and aerial defense systems, killing two Iranian soldiers. Iran’s foreign minister said in a statement that they consider Iran entitled to defend itself, according to cnn.com. This marks an escalation of the ground invasion into Lebanon that started on Oct. 1, 2024 and has heightened tensions between the countries involved.
Hezbollah, an Iranian–backed militia, has increased its involvement in the ongoing conflict following the reported death of their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on Sept. 27, 2024. Israel claimed it needed to continue into Lebanon to defend against the Hezbollah forces carrying out cross–border attacks as a result of the ongoing crisis in Gaza. With hundreds of rockets being launched from Lebanon, 589 civilians have been killed, initiating the United Nations to provide necessary emergency assistance to civilians.
“Hezbollah has since launched more than 8,000 rockets at northern Israel and the Israeli–occupied Golan Heights,” according to bbc.com. “It has also fired anti–tank missiles at armoured vehicles and attacked military targets with explosive drones.”
The violence currently taking place stems back almost 70 years since the formation of Israel. Some of the region’s key events that have led to the ongoing struggle today include the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the 1967 Six–Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Israel’s military occupation following the Six–Day War remains a central point in the war today as its decisive
victory included the capture of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem and Golan Heights, giving Israel control of those lands.
Further, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon date back to the 1970s, with complex regional conflicts going back even further. In the 2000s, war broke out between Hezbollah and Israel, triggered by a deadly cross–border raid with Hezbollah invading Israel. Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon to try to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah. About 1,000 Lebanese civilians were killed during the conflict, and the war reached an end on Aug. 14, 2006, after Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government accepted the UN proposal Resolution1701. The resolution called for an immediate ceasefire, with the deployment of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers to southern Lebanon, as well as a withdrawal of the IDF and Hezbollah troops. However, Hezbollah did claim victory and has since increased its number of fighters and upgraded its weapons, according to bbc.com.
In regards to the West Bank, the Israeli military launched one of its most extensive raids in history this past August. Its focus was the Jenin Urban Refugee Camp, housing about 24,000 residents. This raid lasted 10 days, killing 39 Palestinians and three Israeli police officers. The raid left Jenin devastated, with 70% of the city destroyed.
“At dawn on Tuesday, [Sept. 3], Israeli forces stormed the village of Muthalath al-Shuhada, south of Jenin,” according to Al Jazeera Staff. “They reportedly deployed snipers on the roofs of several houses, raided six homes and detained a number of citizens before withdrawing from the town.”
In Israel, rockets fired by Hezbollah continue to hit towns as south as Ness Ziona. This escalation followed Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon as a form of retaliation for the previous drone attacks, which resulted in the deaths of four Israeli Defense Forces soldiers.
“[My family] has had to go into their bomb shelter a lot in their apartment building because of what’s been going on around them,” said Eden Ofir ‘26, who has relatives in Israel. In recent years, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have escalated due to Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank and their continued increased military presence. Additionally, Israeli policies have made it harder for Palestinians to apply for building permits, causing a mass citizen displacement.
“Ultimately, the number of permits granted to Palestinians each year falls far below the demand,” according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. “More than 94% of all Palestinian permit applications have been rejected in recent years. This means that when a family expands or a community wants to build infrastructure to meet its basic needs, the choice faced is between building without a permit or not building at all.”
In Gaza, the situation has rapidly deteriorated as the conflict between Israel and Hamas intensifies. The latest airstrikes have caused widespread destruction across the region, with hospitals overwhelmed by the sheer number of casualties. Thousands of Palestinians, reportedly 41,500 civilians, have been killed or injured as Israel continues to target Hamas infrastructure embedded within densely populated neighborhoods.
The UN has called for a de–escalation of the conflict requesting that more aid be sent into Gaza. However, Israel historically has an antagonistic relationship with the UN. As of Monday Oct. 28, 2024, Israeli lawmakers have passed laws significantly limiting aid received by Palestinians over time. The passed legislation will cut ties with UNRWA, banning the agency from conducting any activity in Israel.
“Two air strikes had hit the [Al–Jaouni School] and its surroundings, which were home to around 12,000 displaced people, mainly women and children,” according to unrwa.org
The conflict has serious impacts, not only in war zones but also in international responses all around the world, significantly affecting both Jews and Arabs.
Since the 2023 invasion on Oct. 7 by Hamas, there has been a global rise in antisemitic incidents. On many different university campuses across the nation, Jewish students have increasingly felt threatened, facing harassment, vandalism and even physical violence. One–fifth of Jewish children have personally experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7, with 25% of Jewish adults reporting antisemitism in their area, more than double in comparison to previous reports, according to combatantisemitism.org.
“I remember most directly after Oct. 7, there were a lot of protests at a lot of universities, and students would storm and would give chants [saying], ‘Death to Israel,’” said Shai Stabinsky ‘25.
Additionally, Arab Americans have been the victims of hate crimes that led to the death of a six–year–old Palestinian American boy and the attempted murders of three Palestinian American college students reportedly speaking Arabic as they were walking around their campus. Since 2023, there has been a rise in anti–Arab hate with 2500 new reports, whereas in previous years, there had been 500 reports, according to adc.org.
“It’s hard because people only look at it from one perspective,” said Tanin Houryjahan ‘25. “It’s [difficult] to see people say [things] without being fully educated on everything,” As the conflict spreads further through the Middle East, there is a growing call for a ceasefire among the public. The US government also faces varying responses to the amount of funds and arsenal given to Israel, and their heavy involvement in the hostage negotiations, staying adamant on working on de–escalation and a ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken hopes to draw concessions from both sides after the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
“It’s scary not knowing what’s going to happen,” said Ofir. “Not being able to predict anything because all of the attacks have either been constant or out of nowhere.”
