What You Need to Know Immediately About the Israel-Hamas Conflict

In retaliation for the deadliest Hamas attacks in the 75-year history of its struggle with the Palestinians, Israel claims to have destroyed portions of Gaza. As night struck on Tuesday, there was no sign that the Hamas terrorists who were taking Israeli troops and civilians hostage had carried out their vow to kill one prisoner for every Gaza house they had destroyed. Now, a ground assault seems imminent.

CONFLICT

More than 1,200 Israelis and at least 900 Palestinians have died as a result of the conflict.

* Israel called up a record-breaking 300,000 reserve personnel. One reservist said, “I think I’m ready for war,” as Israeli airlines increased flights to bring them home.

* A UN human rights official denounced Israel’s “imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians” and the “horrific mass killings by members of Palestinian armed groups.” According to Volker Turk, both sieges and the kidnapping of hostages are against international law.

* According to authorities, Israel has blocked cryptocurrency accounts that sought contributions for Hamas. Years after endorsing cryptocurrency, Hamas said in April that it would cease accepting donations through bitcoin due to an uptick in what it termed “hostile” conduct directed at contributors.

UNMANNED IMPACT

* An Israeli lady, age 21, claimed to have “no tears left” after her father, sister, grandmother, and cousin went missing on Saturday and a video showed her 12-year-old brother being kidnapped by gunmen.

* Gazans, like 22-year-old Plestia Alaqad, are escaping death. She sought safety at a friend’s house when her apartment building was attacked but soon received word that the house would also be targeted. She spent a short time at a hospital charging her phone before moving on to another house.

* In the debris of a municipal building where she and many others were taking cover, Gazan rescuers discovered the corpse of a 4-year-old child and other bodies. Volunteer Mohammad al Najjar stated, “They sought to avoid death but found it.

* The distressed parents of a Thai national who was taken prisoner in Israel submitted an urgent appeal: “Help the hostages as soon as possible.” His parents recognized their kid in a social media picture showing captives seated with what seemed to be their hands tied behind their backs. He and his buddy were planning to play soccer. His mother said that he afterwards hung up the phone.

WORLDWIDE REACTION

* President Joe Biden referred to the Hamas bombings as “an act of sheer evil” and said that at least 14 Americans had died. In a gesture of support, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will go to Israel on Thursday.

* As Israeli bombings shut off crossings, Egypt is taking action to stop a mass exodus from the Gaza Strip into the south.

* Differing opinions on whether to keep providing help to the Palestinians were discussed at a meeting of the European Union’s foreign ministers.

* Keir Starmer, the head of the opposition Labour Party in Britain, said that Hamas “does nothing for Palestinians” and that “Israel must always have the right to defend her people.”

 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the head of Iran’s government, said Tehran had nothing to do with the Hamas strike but “kissed the hands” of those who were harming Israel.

* Harvard University alumni criticized a pro-Palestinian declaration from students who blamed Israel’s “apartheid regime” and “decades of occupation” for the upsurge in violence.

INSIGHTS/EXPLAINERS

* How the strike on Israel was planned by a covert Hamas leader. Mohammed Deif, who has survived seven Israeli murder attempts—the most recent was in 2021—rarely talks or is seen in public, so when Hamas’s TV station announced he would be speaking on Saturday, Palestinians knew something big was about to happen.

* A Hamas onslaught transformed the “paradise” of an Israeli kibbutz into hell

* Hamas used a deceitful strategy to carry out their spectacular assault.

* Biden finds himself thrown into a dilemma that might change his Middle East strategy and into an uncomfortable relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu, the far-right Israeli prime minister.

* The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is centered on the establishment of a Palestinian state, Jerusalem, and refugees.

* Since Congress controls spending and the House is without a speaker to bring legislation to a vote, there are concerns about whether Washington can increase military money to Israel without endangering help to Ukraine.

AGENDA AND MARKETS

* Amid the unrest in the Middle East, investors are on high alert for a rise in oil prices.

* Although global markets increased, trading was tense due to the unrest in Israel.

FACTBOX: In the wake of the Hamas assault, what are the multinational corporations with operations in Israel doing?

* According to World Bank President Ajay Banga, the violence in Gaza is an economic shock that “we don’t need.”

* The quick dissemination of false information and altered photos has drawn attention to Elon Musk’s X platform. After the Hamas assault, the EU requested Musk to stop the dissemination of false information on X.