DemDaily: A Somber Anniversary
October 8, 2024
One year ago yesterday, Hamas, the militant Palestinian nationalist movement, launched an unprecedented cross-border attack against Israel, brutally killing about 1,200 people, including 46 Americans.
It was the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust.
More than 250 civilian hostages were taken, at least 100 of whom are still in captivity -- among them seven Americans.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948.
| The United Nations reported that, as of October 1, 2024, approximately 54,000 people, predominantly civilian and overwhelmingly Palestinian, have lost their lives to violence in the Israel-Hamas War. At least 17,000 were children. |
According to an October 2, 2024 "Open letter to the White House by 99 healthcare workers documenting the crimes of genocide in Gaza," an additional 62,413 people in Gaza have died of starvation.
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In addition, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists, at least 120 Palestinian, three Lebanese and two Israeli journalists have been killed.
History
The Gaza Strip is a small piece of land in the Middle East that sits between Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea. Home to 2.3 million people, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The Gaza Strip and an area called the West Bank, which stretches along the west side of the Jordan River, is known as the State of Palestine. Israel's land separates the two territories.
After Israel first conquered the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War, dozens of Jewish settlements were established in the West Bank, with the goal of creating communities in heavily populated Palestinian areas to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Founded in 1987 during an uprising against Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, Hamas was originally a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which favors Islamist principles. Deemed a terrorist organization by the US, UK and many other countries, Hamas has controlled Gaza since winning the 2006 elections -- the last time elections were held.
Hamas' political rival is the Palestinian Authority, which grew out of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords and controls the West Bank. The agreement, negotiated in part by President Bill Clinton, laid the foundation for a two-state resolution, but the peace process had run aground by the time he left office.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, elected to a third non-consecutive term in 2022, has claimed the blockade is necessary to control Gaza's borders and to protect Israeli citizens from Hamas.
| According to a Brown University report released Monday on The Cost of War, the US has spent at least $22.76 billion on military aid to Israel and related U.S. operations in the region. |
Following the October 7 attack by Hamas, Netanyahu extended a "total blockade," to include the entry of food, water, medicine, fuel and electricity -- conditioning its lift on the return of the hostages.
Although later eased, over 50% of humanitarian aid to Gaza is reportedly still being blocked, leading the UN and civil rights groups to accuse Israel of carrying out a "genocide" against the Palestinian people.
In December 2023, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging a violation of the Genocide Convention, and war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Court has also issued arrest warrants for Hamas leadership for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and the taking of hostages during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.
Dozens of countries have filed submissions related to the Israel-Hamas war, with both parties rejecting the claims. Any potential ICC trial regarding the conflict is likely years away.
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The US is in an untenable position, walking a line between supporting Israel, its long-time strategic ally, and the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which continue to drawn international condemnation.
On Saturday, thousands marched in US cities from Washington to Los Angeles to demand an immediate ceasefire as the war in Gaza nears the one-year mark. The marches were part of a worldwide day of action against the devastating war,
The Israel-Hamas war has become a point of contention in the US presidential election -- to the advantage of Vice President Kamala Harris.
| A September 1 Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) survey of registered voters found Jewish support for the Democratic ticket has expanded significantly since Harris became the Democratic nominee. Harris leads Trump by a 47-point spread, 72%-25%. That is up from Biden's 41-point lead among Jewish voters in April. (MOE: +/- 3%). |
A September 21-24 YouGov/The Economist poll found approximately 33% of Americans sympathize with the Israelis while some 24% were not sure. Another 24% said they support both parties equally while 19% of US adults sympathize with the Palestinians.
When split by party lines, 33% of Democrats sympathize with the Palestinians, nearly one-third, 32%, said they support both parties equally, and 14% sympathize with the Israelis, according to the survey.
The majority of Republicans, 63%, sided only with the Israelis, 14% said they sympathize with both while only 5% of GOP voters sympathized with the Palestinians.
The support for Harris among Jewish voters could prove decisive in a number of key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, where the Jewish population historically has played a significant role in the outcome electionsl while in Dearborn, Michigan alone, 54% of the 110,000 residents are of Arab descent.
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Kimberly Scott
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