100 days after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, concerns about the expansion of the conflict

2024-01-14 16:54:54, Kosova & Bota CNA

100 days after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, concerns about the expansion

100 days since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, there are no signs that the conflict is coming to an end, and there are even concerns that it could spread even further into the Middle East. The war began after gunmen from the militant group Hamas entered Israel and carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history. Tel Aviv then retaliated by bombing and launching a ground attack on Gaza.

It all started after gunmen from the militant group entered Israel and carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history. The attack caught Israel's military and security services completely off guard, raising fears of insecurity in the country as details of the massacre by Hamas militants emerged.

The attack killed more than 1,200 people, the largest single-day loss of life since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

The Israeli response was immediate, beginning with systematic aerial bombardments and followed by a ground intervention that together have devastated Gaza and forced almost 2 million people from their homes.

Almost 24,000 Palestinians have been killed and 60,000 wounded, according to Gaza health authorities.

Three months later, Israeli troops are still battling Hamas militants in the rubble of Gaza and are searching for the architects of the October attack, such as Jahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, and Mohammed Deif, the movement's military leader.

Most of Gaza's hospitals have been destroyed, starvation is a growing threat, and a dire humanitarian crisis threatens to end up killing even more residents than the Israeli army.

Families of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip began a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, calling on the government to do more to bring their loved ones home.

Thousands of people poured into Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square," a square in front of Israel's Defense Ministry that has served as a rallying point for activists.

More than 100 hostages were released during a temporary ceasefire in November, but 132 are still in Gaza.

"There are still hostages in Gaza. We are waiting for everyone, every minute, every second. They were kidnapped because the state failed, because we failed, and now the state must do everything, everything, to free them," says Eyal Waldman, the father of Danielle, a girl who was killed at a music festival in Israel during the Hamas attack .

Other protesters called for new elections in Israel and blocked a major Tel Aviv highway, clashing with police who arrested and tried to disperse the crowd. Other protesters gathered near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence demanding his removal from office.

One hundred days after Hamas attacked Israel, Gaza is now a shambles. Drone footage shot over the past few days shows the extent of the destruction in this territory.

For 64-year-old Shahinaz Bakr and her family, home these days is a makeshift tented camp in Rafah. For some 2.3 million people in Gaza, life has turned into a nightmare.

"We have moved from one place to another. I don't know where my sons, my brothers, or my family are. I can't communicate with anyone. I don't know anything about anyone, but we are here, looking for something to eat and drink," says Bakr in her tent, which she shares with her daughter Heba, 32, and four grandchildren.

Heba is six months pregnant and she is terrified for the future of her unborn child.

"I don't know how my baby is doing, I don't know anything. I don't know where I will be born, how I will be treated when I am born," she says.

Efforts to agree a ceasefire have so far failed and no one knows the end of this conflict. Across the Arab world, there has been outrage over the killings and destruction of Gaza. Even Washington, Israel's closest ally, has called for restraint.

Meanwhile, South Africa has filed a case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide, a charge that Tel Aviv dismisses as unfounded.

The United States and other powers have called for a revival of a process to create an independent Palestinian state after the war, but the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far not responded.

The other two militant groups, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi in Yemen, have also entered the game. Both of these groups have the support of Iran, a sworn enemy of Israel. Also at stake is the political future of the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, which depends on the outcome of the war./ VOA