It is true that this new war is another chapter in a many decades-long crisis in the Middle East, however, the events of Oct. 7 — and Israel’s response to them — are very different. On that horrible day, Hamas killed more than 1,400 people, the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians. This is the largest number of Jewish people killed in one twenty-four-hour period since the Holocaust. In response to Hamas’ terror attacks and hostage-taking on Oct. 7, the Israeli military has launched airstrikes and engaged in other kinetic actions in Gaza. Israel said it dropped 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip during the first six days of war with Hamas, that is more bombs than the US-led coalition dropped in any month during the fight against ISIS. Israel has also mobilized 300,000 reserve soldiers in preparation for a ground invasion.
In response to this crisis, President Joe Biden will be visiting Israel on Wednesday with the goal of signaling America’s support, showing concern about protecting the human rights of the people who live in Gaza, and also trying to ensure that the war does not spread into a larger regional conflict that could potentially involve the United States, Iran, and perhaps even Russia.
