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October 7, 2023, one year after the Hamas attack on Israel that set the Middle East ablaze with thousands and thousands of deaths

A year after the brutal attack by Hamas on October 7, the war has escalated into a regional conflict, first involving Lebanon with Hezbollah and then Iran. The violence continues to sow death and destruction, reducing any hope for peace

October 7, 2023, one year after the Hamas attack on Israel that set the Middle East ablaze with thousands and thousands of deaths

At the dawn of 7 October 2023, the silence of the Jewish Sabbath was broken by a violence never seen in the last decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the holiday of Sukkot, Hamas unleashed a attack surprisingly he left Israel and the entire world in shock. Thousands of fighters, rockets and coordinated attacks by land and sea changed the face of the region forever. That date marked the beginning of a spiral of death and destruction that, one year apart, has spread far beyond the borders of Gaza and Israel, involving regional actors such as Iran e Hezbollah, and bringing the region to the brink of all-out war.

Hamas' October 7 Attack: The Day That Changed Everything

The operation "Al-Aqsa Flood” took shape in the early hours of October 7th. Thousands of fundamentalist militants from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Palestinian civilians broke through the barriers along the border with Gaza Strip, invading kibbutzim, towns and even a music festival outdoor, Supernova in the Negev desert in southern Israel. First responders encountered harrowing scenes: piles of corpses, women raped and then burned, abandoned in an indecent manner.

Over 5.000 rockets were launched toward Israeli cities, hitting targets as far away as Tel Aviv. Israel found itself engulfed in an unexpected wave of violence. Over 1.200 Israelis lost their lives, and 251 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza; among them, 97 are still being held hostage a year later, with about a third of that group already believed to be dead. Numerous cases of rape and sexual violence have also been reported.

Hezbollah, from Lebanon, hit the north of the country, igniting another outbreak of war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared a state of war, aware that Israel was entering a new phase of conflict, the most violent in recent decades.

The Israeli Response: Operation “Iron Swords”

On October 8th, Israel he threw a counter-offensive devastating, Operation “Iron Swords”. Within hours, the Israeli army called up 300 reservists, preparing for the siege and bombing of Gaza. Netanyahu declared that Israel would respond with unprecedented force. The following weeks saw relentless air strikes on Gaza, while the army prepared for a ground invasion.

On October 27th theland raid in the Strip, with the aim of dividing the city of Gaza from the south, and isolating Hamas. The bombings became more and more intense, hitting not only military targets, but also hospitals, schools and civilian infrastructure. The most large hospital in Gaza, Al Shifa, was at the center of a days-long operation, with Israel accusing Hamas of using it as a base of operations.

A Year of War and Devastation: Gaza Under Rubble

A year after the attack on October 7, the human toll is frightening. More than 42 thousand people died, many of them civilians according to the militiamen. Gaza Strip, under Hamas rule since 2007 and subject to an Israeli blockade for nearly two decades, has been reduced to rubble. A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development points out a 81% drop of the GDP the region, highlighting an unprecedented economic crisis. The devastation of infrastructure is almost total: hospitals, schools and roads have been severely affected. People are living in desperate conditions, facing severe food shortages and without access to essential services such as electricity and clean water. Poverty has reached dramatic levels, with 90% of the population dependent on international aid, while 1,9 million people have been displaced from their homes.

But the war was not limited to the Strip. The entire region was dragged into the conflict. The Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon have become constant, while theIran has played an increasingly active role, with a first attack directed to Israel launched the 13 April 2024, in response to an Israeli raid on Damascus that killed senior Iranian officials.

Tehran's long shadow

Iran's involvement marked a dangerous turning point. Starting from theattack on Damascus, hostilities between Israel and Tehran have escalated. Raids, rocket attacks and covert operations have intensified, as Israel’s allies, including the United States, closely monitor a situation that threatened to escalate into an even wider conflict.

As of July 2024, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was killed in what was interpreted as an Israeli raid in Tehran. A few months later, in September, Israel also struck Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in a bombing that shocked the region. The next day, Lebanese security sources confirmed that his body had been found, intact.

Since his death, hopes for de-escalation have collapsed, and the Israeli prime minister has returned urgently from the United States, where a possible 21-day ceasefire was being discussed during the work of the UN General Assembly. Later, a attack in Lebanon and Syria blew up thousands of pager, causing deaths and injuries. The next day it was the turn of walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices used by Hezbollah, which had preferred obsolete technologies for security reasons. Israel, while not officially claiming responsibility, spoke of a “new phase” of the war, targeting the northern border with Lebanon.

On October 2024, XNUMX, theIran has launched its second attack directed against Israel, using around 200 ballistic missiles, in response to the deaths of its regional allies. Tel Aviv managed to repel the attack once again thanks to its defense system, the Iron Dome, but the message was clear: the conflict would not stop. But Israel's response was not long in coming: it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut, trying to eliminate Hashem Safieddine, a possible successor to Nasrallah. The following day, an Israeli raid hit northern Lebanon, killing a Hamas commander along with his family. Meanwhile, Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, has threatened new attacks against Israel and called the October 7 attack legitimate.

War in the Middle East: Where Are We Now?

To date, the war shows no signs of slowing down, on the contrary. The region is in chaos, and tensions are increasing every day. While the population of Gaza suffers under the weight of an implacable siege, the possibilities of a medium-high pace lasting seem increasingly distant. The risk of an escalation involving other countries in the region – and beyond – is real.

What began on October 7, 2023, has turned into a war that has redrawn the geopolitical lines of the Middle East and left a trail of destruction and pain that could take decades to heal.

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