The conflict is the deadliest since Israel was established in 1948
Israeli citizens carry portraits of family members held hostage by Hamas at a rally. Pic/AFP
Sunday marks 100 days that Israel and Hamas have been at war. The war already is the longest and deadliest between Israel and the Palestinians since Israel’s establishment in 1948, and the fighting shows no signs of ending.
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Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7 in which the Islamic militant group killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust.
Israel responded with weeks of intense airstrikes in Gaza before expanding the operation into a ground offensive. It says its goal is to crush Hamas and win the release of the more than 100 hostages still held by the group.
The offensive has wrought unprecedented destruction upon Gaza. But more than three months later, Hamas remains largely intact and hostages remain in captivity. The Israeli military says the war will stretch on throughout 2024.
While the public has rallied behind the military’s war effort, it remains deeply traumatized. The country seems to be reliving October 7—when families were killed in their homes, partygoers gunned down at a music festival and children and older people abducted on motorcycles.
Posters of the hostages who remain in Hamas captivity lined public streets, and people wore T-shirts calling on leaders to “Bring Them Home.” Despite a sharp drop in his public approval ratings, Netanyahu has resisted calls to apologise, step down or investigate his government’s failings.
1,200
Number of Israeli citizens killed in the initial Oct 7 attacks
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