Fighting between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas escalated rapidly since the first few weeks of May 2021, bringing fear and the possibility of a prolonged war. The fighting began as a consequence of a series of controversial actions by the Israeli authorities against Arabic and Muslim communities in Jerusalem, prompting Hamas to fire rockets at the capital city and other major cities in Israel. On the other hand, Israel also displayed violent acts with catastrophic airstrikes in the Hamas-controlled area of the Gaza Strip, including the Gaza media offices of Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.
At the left, people rally in support of Palestinian rights at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa on May 15, 2021. At right, a pro-Israel rally takes place near the Tom Brown Arena on May 16, 2021. (Alexander Behne/Radio-Canada, Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)
Although this particular confrontation began recently, the conflict has been going on for centuries now. The territory was first owned by Palestinians but was never recognized as an official, independent state. While Muslims habited the majority, there was a small Jewish population of about 3%. However, as a consequence of World War I & II and many other building conflicts and events, Israel was settled as an official country, and the Palestinians were not happy about that. Even after the Arab-Israeli wars and the continued support of neighbouring Arab states towards Palestine, Israel received control of over 75% of the land that previously belonged to Palestinians. Following the incident, several more came, all of them settled with ceasefires or unhelpful treaties.
Currently, not only are the armed forces fighting back-and-forth attacks, communal violence between Israelis and Arabs have also broken out in various cities across Israel. This is not a new occurrence, but what is concerning is that the violence is at a level unseen for years, illustrating just how fractured Israeli society has become.
As of May 21st, Israel and Hamas reached a truce after 11 days of continuous deadly fighting. Palestinian officials conveyed that the reconstruction of the devastated homes and centers would cost tens of millions of dollars. Bodies continue to be pulled out of the rubble caused by the collapse of buildings, taking the death toll up to 248 lives, with around 2,000 wounded. The remaining question is: when is this atrocious, long-lasting conflict going to end, and when are lives going to stop being taken?
Anika Sahoo
Bibliography
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“Hamas: The Palestinian Militant Group That Rules Gaza.” BBC News, BBC, 13 May 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13331522.
“Israel and the Palestinians: a History of Conflict in 8 Key Episodes.” HistoryExtra, 18 May 2021, www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/israel-palestinians-history-milestones-conflict/.
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