As of April 1st, 2024, the war between Hamas and Israel rages on. On October 7th, 2023, Palestinian group Hamas carried out attacks in Israel that killed at least 1200 Israelis. Israel immediately launched attacks on Gaza. Since then, at least 32,490 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, and millions have been displaced. The current situation is that Israel owns most of the land, but both Israel and Gaza claim the land as their own. The conflict has caused a great deal of suffering for both Israelis and Palestinians, and this situation is likely to continue for many years.
Over the last few months, Israel has significantly reduced the number of troops in Gaza to prepare for future operations. Sunday, April 7th, Israel removed some of the last of their troops from Gaza, leaving only one brigade left. Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, has said the military was preparing for a follow-up mission. Many wonder if this will lead to a cease-fire after more than six months of fighting. However, both Israel and Hamas, the Islamic movement that controls Gaza, have confirmed they were sending delegations to Egypt. Hamas wants a deal to bring about an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. The Israeli prime minister has said there would be no deal without a hostage release, and he would not cave in to international pressure. Hamas says an agreement must include freedom of movement of residents across the Gaza Strip. At this point, around 130 hostages are still being held in Gaza.
Additionally, Turkey will put trade restrictions in place on Israel starting on Tuesday until there is a ceasefire and increased aid to Gaza. Turkey’s minister of trade has said around 54 products, including iron and steel products, jet fuel, construction equipment, machines, cement, granites, chemicals, pesticides, and bricks, will be banned from being exported to Israel. This ban on trade is an effect of Israel denying the proposal of Turkey’s air-dropping aid. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been under much pressure after the announcement that Turkish imports to Israel would be halted. In a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Erdogan was “once again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of the Hamas murderers in Gaza.” Later in the same post, he said he contacted organizations in the US and urged them to stop investing in Turkey and Turkish goods.
Due to the lack of aid Gaza is receiving and the constant attack, almost two million people have fled their homes in search of better living conditions, food, and shelter to escape this war, and those who do remain in the Gaza Strip are on the brink of famine. The World Food Programme says that addressing the simple food needs would require at least 300 trucks a day to enter Gaza to bring food to the people. Distribution to these areas would be difficult because of the lack of infrastructure in Gaza due to intense bombardment, movement restrictions, interrupted communications, and fuel shortages. Some countries have provided aid by air-dropping supplies into Gaza, and aid charity World Central Kitchen has even built its own jetty to provide food by sea.
