“If you have less empathy towards victims because of how you feel about their government, propaganda is working on you.” – Ben Sheehan
Last Saturday, while Israelis were celebrating Simchat Torah, a Jewish Holiday, Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip, surprise attacked several towns in Southern Israel. They infiltrated by land, air and sea; killing 1,200 people and taking 150 people as hostages.
What is the Gaza Strip? It is one of two Palestinian territories measuring in 140 square miles with a population of 2.3 million people. Over the years since Hamas gained control of the strip, Israel has caused Gaza to become a starved economy, have an abnormally high unemployment, and a buckling hospital system. Egypt has backed up Israel during this time.
Who is the Hamas? They are a militant Palestinian group founding in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising. The U.S., E.U., and other countries have deemed them a terrorist group and since 2007, they have started 4 wars with Israel. They have created a decades long campaign to rob Palestinians of their land and displace them by force. They have also vowed to annihilate the state of Israel. Iran is a country that has often offered financial and logistical support to Hamas and has recently offered support on the recent attacks.
How has Israel responded since Saturday? They have completed a full scale assault on Gaza, launched rockets, and tightened grip on blockages of food, fuel, and water into Gaza. IDF has regained control of Gaza’s border, but has launched a targeted strike into Gaza city where Hamas’ government ministries are located. Since the attacks have started, 250,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza and are taking shelter in packed U.N. Schools.
This is just a new chapter in a decades-long battle over land and sovereignty.
How can you help/ where can you donate?
I’ve compiled a list of organizations and non-profits that are currently focusing their resources to innocent citizens of both countries.
- UNICEF
- Doctors Without Borders
- American Red Cross
- World Food Programme
- Direct Relief
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
- United Nations Relief and Works Agency
- Palestine Children’s Relief Fund – urgent needs
- Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victim of Terror – first to respond on site
Resources for this blog post: USA Today, Time, CNBC, and ABC7Chicago
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