BY DYLAN VOCHATZER

By this point, it’s likely that every person on Earth has heard at least a little talk about what is going on in Israel. Whether you know every little detail or just a bit, the conclusion is clear; what’s going on is a tragedy. Since the 7th of October, the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been endlessly assaulting Israel, killing thousands and injuring even more. Who is Hamas, and what is their reasoning behind destroying Israel and its people? Why is this chaos ensuing, and what is the root? Who really are the bad guys, and most importantly, why does this matter to us, here in the U.S? 

One of the largest wars between Israel and Palestine took place in 1948, but the conflict between the two dates back even further. In 1920, Britain took control of Palestine and the land was inhabited by the Jewish and Arab. The Jewish here were the minority, with the Arab as the majority. Tensions began to rise when the United Kingdom looked to establish a safe place for the Jewish people who lived in Palestine. Palestinian Arabs were against this idea, and that is where the conflict took off. Over a span of around 20 years, more Jewish people moved to Palestine. Conflict between the two increased, and to make things worse, the United Nations proposed the idea to separate the Jewish and Arab into states. Jewish leaders accepted this proposal, but the Arabs didn’t, and because of this, it was never implemented, and because it was never implemented, tensions rose even further. 

Finally, we’ve reached 1948, and this is where things reach a climax. Jewish leaders declared the creation of the state of Israel, a safe haven for Jews. Just one day after Israel had been created, 5 Arab countries attacked. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in an event that was labeled the “Catastrophe.” By the time the fighting ended, Israel was in control of the majority of land. 

The Gaza strip is where this takes place today; a narrow strip of land between Israel and the Mediterranean sea, where Hamas is currently in charge. Hamas is a terrorist group dedicated to destroying Israel, the one mentioned at the very beginning of this story. Neither side is innocent; Israel has had history with Palestinian assault, and clearly Hamas has no intention of letting Israel live peacefully. Israel has been indiscriminately dropping bombs on the Gaza strip, which is where Palestinians reside, and Hamas too has been indiscriminately returning fire on Israel. So many people have died, men, women, children, soldiers, numbers rising into the millions, with both sides majorly at fault.

But why does this war matter to us? To the United States, to our communities, to this very school, Truman High? It shows what humanity really is. This war occurring between Israel and Hamas shows how harsh humanity can be, and it is devastating. War in general has always had an effect on the lives of the people, but this war has had a major effect on not only the ones involved, but the witnesses around the world. It is important that every single person in the world knows and understands the tragedy that is occurring, because it shows the true colors of how the world can be. However, despite it being as devastating as it is, we can come together and show our support. There are many kinds of donation websites available where you can donate to help the people in need. Understanding the war and sympathizing with the victims, that is why it matters to US.