Israel-Palestine War Rages A Year After Hamas Attack
A year since Hamas' surprise cross-border attack into Israel, the war in Gaza rages on, even as Israel fights a new war against Hezbollah, escalating its bombing campaign in Lebanon over the past three weeks.
Israel's yearlong offensive against Hamas, one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, has killed more than 41,000 people, according to local health officials.
Nearly the entire Gaza population of 2.3 million has been displaced — some of them many times — and the fighting has left roughly a quarter of all structures in Gaza destroyed or severely damaged, according to a UN assessment based on satellite footage.
Even if there's a ceasefire, around half of all families "have nowhere to go back to," Alison Ely, a Gaza-based humanitarian worker, told the Associated Press.
Israel blames the destruction on Hamas. The militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. As of September 2024, some 100 of those hostages were still in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
In Lebanon, Israel has stepped up its air campaign and launched limited ground operations across the border, saying it aims to drive Hezbollah from its border so tens of thousands of Israeli citizens can return home. Militant group Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel just after the October 7 attack, in support of Hamas.
Israel's strikes in Lebanon since late September have killed at least 1,400 people, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, and 1.2 million have been driven from their homes.
Around the world, leaders are calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
"We reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for the unconditional release of all hostages, and an end to the conflict," the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
While paying tribute to the victims of Hamas' attack, US Vice President Kamala Harris said she is "heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year."
"It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people," she said in a statement.
