BY: KIA MOERK / STAFF WRITER
Tension continues to rise in the Middle East as Israel invaded Lebanon last month, Iran launched missiles at Israel, and relations with the Palestinian terror organization Hamas see no immediate improvement, even after the death of its top leader, Yahya Sinwar.
The war in Gaza has been at the forefront of the international discourse ever since Oct. 7 of last year when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, targeting civilians and military installations. In addition to the estimated 1,200 dead from the attack, the terror organization took over 200 hostages, of which many are still in captivity.
Israel responded aggressively to the October 7th attack by targeting Hamas’ leaders and infrastructure through heavy airstrikes and ground invasions at multiple instances, pushing the civilian population further south.
Although initially targeting Hamas, civilians in Gaza have had to pay the highest price as they have suffered tremendously from the loss of friends, family, homes, and a general sense of security.
Currently, Gaza is under a humanitarian crisis where access to food, water, and medical supplies is scarce. An estimated 90% of the population in Gaza has been displaced at least once, often from one unsafe place to another. Thousands of civilians have been killed and many more are expected to die due to the poor living conditions and shortages of life necessities.
International aid trucks have been restricted by the Israeli government, which has been a major source of international critique.
Simultaneously with the Gaza war, Israel has increased tension in relations with other regional actors such as Lebanon, where conflict is actively taking place. As the main hub for the terror organization Hezbollah, Lebanon has been the target of multiple attacks from Israel throughout the past years. There has long been turmoil on the northern border of Israel, and the war in Gaza has re-sparked hostilities between Lebanon and Israel in their border area.
Long-standing disagreements regarding the border triggered Hezbollah to launch rockets, anti-tank missiles, and drones at Israel already in October of last year. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated shortly after against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon with air strikes and artillery fire, and the relations in the area have remained tense ever since.
More recently, the IDF was blamed for the exploding walkie-talkie and pager attacks which happened earlier this year and left thousands of Hezbollah members injured and killed, and have also been active in targeting (and killing) top Hezbollah commanders. Earlier this week, Israel also began a ground invasion of Lebanon, aimed at pressuring the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
The increased tension between Hamas, Hezbollah, and Israel has pushed Iran into the active conflict. On Oct. 1, Iran became directly involved when it launched over 100 ballistic missiles at Israel. Although one of the most prominent allies of Hamas and Hezbollah (and the respective governments of the countries they are based in), Iran had chosen not to get actively involved until recently.
Even after one of the top Hamas officials, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed on Iranian soil in a planned attack by the IDF in July, Iran chose not to retaliate. The decision to stay back was made after heavy diplomatic efforts from regional actors and the United States who feared that retaliation might jeopardize a peace negotiation between Israel and Hamas and pull the region into a fully escalated conflict.
Although Iran decided not to retaliate in July, the killing of Ismail Haniyeh – a guest on Iranian land, increased justification for Iranian involvement in the conflict, and the October attack was likely a delayed response to the attack in July. Israel pledged to retaliate.
The large majority of the Iranian missiles were intercepted by Israel with the help of a defensive coalition led by the United States and did little harm. However, the attack demonstrates the intensity of the situation and the hostile relationship between Iran and Israel and further enhances the evidence of a highly unstable region and a broadening conflict in the Middle East.
In a press conference, UN Secretary Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and the conduct of the war in Gaza, stating “This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire.”
Although regional tensions have been high for years as the relationship between Israel and Palestine has become increasingly hostile, the involvement of other regional and international actors has amplified the scope and intensity of violence.
There have been numerous international efforts to strike a peace deal between the parties involved, such as the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993, where Israel and Palestine recognized each other as trade partners and agreed to let each other govern and exist in peace in their respective land areas.
However, the failures of both sides in fulfilling commitments, internal political opposition, and lack of progress in negotiating a finalized peace deal have illustrated the difficulties of finding a solution for lasting regional peace.
Regardless of the specific target of the many attacks in the Middle East this past year, it has become clear that the civilian population in the region has had to bear the biggest cost. Immeasurable loss of lives, homes, opportunities, and infrastructure will mark the region for years to come.
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