A harrowing 100 days.
That’s how long, as of Jan. 14, Israel and Hamas have been at war in the aftermath of the worst attack in Israel’s history. Its impact has been felt far, wide and deep − and it’s not over.
It’s a conflict that has upended life for Israelis and Palestinians; caused death, suffering and destruction on a massive scale; further polarized long divided views; reshaped the dynamics of the Middle East; and stirred international political and emotional turmoil. It has even threatened to impact the 2024 U.S. election.
Here are some of the storylines, defining moments, devastating impacts and still-emerging developments connected to a war that has shocked, angered, dominated, surprised, confused and moved many of us.
How it unfolded
Just before 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas fired thousands of rockets as it attacked Israel by air, land and sea. Hamas fighters stormed dozens of communities along Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave, murdering at least 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others, who were taken back to Gaza.
Hamas’ attack was a massacre. Among those killed on Oct. 7 was Cindy Flash, 67, an American mom originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. Flash had spent a lifetime advocating for the rights of Palestinians.
How Israel reacted
Within hours of the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, 140 square miles of relatively flat coastal plain bordering Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. About a week later, Israel told residents in northern Gaza to evacuate south. Many in Gaza said they simply had nowhere to go.
More than three months since the start of Israel’s bombardment, at least 24,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas in Gaza.
The context on the context
When Hamas infiltrated Israeli territory on Oct. 7 it was the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s biggest offensive against Israel in years. It was also part of a complex, bitter conflict between Israelis and Palestinians over culture, identity and land that reaches back to World War I and is also rooted in pre-biblical times.
The brutality of Hamas’ attacks on civilians — and the fact that Hamas still has not released all its hostages — has made it difficult for many Israelis to focus on anything beyond the atrocities. For Palestinians, the scale of Israel’s killings of civilians, combined with their long sense of persecution by Israel’s military and loss of land to Israeli settlers, has made it challenging for them to criticize Hamas.
The struggle to bury the dead
In Israel, the authorities and volunteer emergency responders went to great lengths to recover bodies they discovered in scenes of unspeakable horror, often in places where fighting was still taking place. In some cases, remains were charred and mutilated so badly identification was problematic.
In Gaza, large swathes of which lay in ruin due to Israel’s bombing campaign, families resorted to makeshift graveyards dug in empty lots and health workers stored bodies in ice cream freezers as morgues filled up. As of mid-Jan., the Palestinian Ministry of Health estimates that about 7,000 people are still missing under rubble.
Hostages and prisoners
Hamas released a first group of hostages on Nov. 24, 2023. The release was part of a deal with Israel that included a temporary cease-fire in Gaza. As part of the agreement, Israel agreed to free 240 Palestinian prisoners, accused of offenses ranging from throwing stones to attempted murder, from Israeli jails.
The truce lasted seven days. More than 100 hostages were released by Hamas during this time, the majority of them Israeli women and children, but also foreign nationals, some of whom hold dual citizenship. Four Americans were freed. An estimated 129 hostages, including up to six Americans, are still held in Gaza.
Parts of Gaza look like a wasteland
One hundred days into…
This article was originally published by a www.usatoday.com . Read the Original article here. .