Understanding the Israel-Hamas war
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 9 October 2023
⏱️ 23 minutes
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Summary
Today, we unpack how the war in Israel started, what this conflict means for civilians on the ground and scenarios for how it could possibly end.
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More than 1,000 people in Israel and Gaza have been killed and thousands more injured after Palestinian gunmen from Hamas infiltrated Israel this Saturday. Hamas launched attacks on troops and massacred civilians in the most brazen militant operation in years. Shortly after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Hamas.
The violence erupted suddenly but comes after a year of rising tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, which have been under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007. This year alone has seen a spate of deadly attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories, an escalation that followed Netanyahu’s move to cobble together the most far-right government in Israeli history.
Today, The Post’s Jerusalem Bureau Chief Steve Hendrix brings us an on-the-ground account of the early days of the war in Israel and unpacks what this means for the geopolitics of the Middle East and the world at large.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I've been here for almost five years and we've had a number of military escalations and |
| 0:09.2 | wars and Gaza. |
| 0:12.0 | But I talk to neighbors in their 80s who have lived through this incredible violent history |
| 0:18.5 | of this country and even they say they've never seen anything like this. |
| 0:23.9 | They've never felt quite like this. |
| 0:28.2 | Steve Hendrix is the Jerusalem bureau chief for the post. |
| 0:31.6 | We reached him Monday evening, Israel time, to talk about the violent attacks there |
| 0:35.4 | by Hamas on Saturday and what's been unfolding since. |
| 0:39.8 | The foundations have shifted, nothing feels the same. |
| 0:43.8 | People can't quite process what's happening much less what might happen next and none |
| 0:51.2 | of the scenarios are very positive. |
| 0:58.2 | And Steve, where are you now? Are you safe? |
| 1:03.0 | People in Jerusalem always assume they were the safest community in Israel because the |
| 1:07.9 | city that's beloved by all the combatants, all the religions fought over but beloved |
| 1:14.2 | and therefore considered to be sort of a little bit immune from attacks and violence. |
| 1:21.3 | I think I'm safe but I have to say it doesn't feel as safe as it used to. |
| 1:26.5 | On Monday, Israel announced a full siege of the Gaza Strip, saying there would be no |
| 1:35.4 | food, no electricity and no fuel. |
| 1:38.8 | Hamas has attacked Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and other Israeli cities with rockets and taken |
| 1:45.2 | dozens of hostages. |
| 1:49.8 | From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. |
| 1:53.8 | I'm Rachel Lerman, I'm your guest host today. |
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