On this day in 2023, Hamas launched a brutal attack on southern Israel that became the catalyst for a year of escalating and widening conflict in the region. During this attack, numerous atrocities were committed in utter violation of the most fundamental principles of international law and morality, with some 1,200 people being killed – including many young people attending a music festival, as well as children, women and elderly people in several civilian communities in the region – and 251 hostages being taken, of whom 97 are still being held one year later. While understanding the long history of occupation and oppression that preceded these events, the WCC has condemned the attack on innocent Israeli civilians.
The enormity of Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza is shockingly unacceptable. It has exponentially compounded the violations and suffering inflicted on innocent civilians, with more than 41,700 people killed – including over 16,000 children – a further nearly 100,000 people wounded, and over 10,000 missing and presumed dead underneath the rubble, according to health authorities in the enclave. Around 1.9 million people – 90% of the population of Gaza – have been forcibly displaced from their homes, many multiple times, and almost half a million people are facing catastrophic food insecurity, while Gaza’s critical infrastructure, medical and education services, housing, economy, farmland, and fishing fleets have largely been laid to waste. Israel’s war in Gaza has made the territory unlivable and has given rise to claims of genocide which have been judged by the International Court of Justice as plausible.
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