The amount of civilian deaths in both Israel and Palestine is rising exponentially as fights occur and intense bombardments come and go. The destruction caused in comparison to how recently the war has begun is remarkably severe.

Although the war only began 6 days ago, multiple reports of civilians being brutally murdered and war crimes committed by the Hamas soldiers have been publicized. Hundreds of civilians on the first day of the war alone were kidnapped, assaulted, and killed. Even elders and children fell victim to their actions.

(Photo = CNN)

Surprisingly, it wasn’t only Hamas that took part in the numerous civilian deaths. As a retaliation to the airstrikes done by Hamas, Israel has also fired many missiles specifically targeting the Gaza Strip; a district that Hamas is in control of, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,800 people. Alongside the airstrikes, essential supplies including food, water, electricity, and fuel have been completely cut off from the district, leaving the civilians in harsh conditions.

It has been reported that even schools and hospitals were damaged or became inaccessible due to the Israeli airstrikes. Attacking these two types of institutions is considered a war crime, and cannot be justified no matter the circumstance. Mahmoud Shalabi, a member of the aid organization ‘Medical Aid for Palestinians’ has claimed that Al Shifa Hospital has been partially damaged and Beit Hanoun Hospital cannot be accessed as roads around it were destroyed. Al Shifa is well known as the largest hospital in Gaza.

As the severity of the war continues to increase, and both sides continue to commit inexcusable violence, it has become difficult to determine which side is good or bad. However, one fact can be clearly noticed from this war; the civilians are those that suffer the most from this event, despite their innocence.

#israel #hamas #palestine #war #death

Ryan Lee (rlee2027@chadwickschool.org)