The attacks on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, resulted in approximately 1,200 Israeli deaths and more than 240 hostages taken to Gaza. During the attack, numerous women, girls, and men were subjected to sexual violence including rape and sexualized torture. In the year that has followed, the security landscape in the Middle East has changed profoundly.
How much do you know about October 7th, 2023, and what’s occurred since? Engage with our “Two Truths and a Lie” challenge to find out.
A. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization.
B. All the hostages have been returned.
C. Israel has aggressively gone after Hamas to re-establish their security while implementing measures to prevent civilian casualties.
Let’s take these statements one at a time:
A. Truth! Hamas, including its military faction, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, the European Union, the UK, and other nations. The group receives support from Iran in the form of funding, weapons, and training. Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and has continued to advocate for the establishment of an Islamic state and the destruction of Israel. The group has engaged in numerous conflicts with Israel, launching thousands of rockets and executing various lethal attacks.
B. Lie! According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of those who were taken on October 7, 2023, 97 hostages remain in Hamas custody. Of those 97, four are Americans. Tragically, the fate of many of the hostages remains unknown. Recently, another American, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was executed by Hamas after surviving 11 months of captivity. He was killed alongside five other captives. Forensic evidence suggests that the four male captives were defending and protecting the two female captives from Hamas when they were all killed. After the bodies were found, Hamas taunted the families by releasing pre-recorded videos of the victims’ “last messages” before they were murdered.
C. Truth! Israel has rightfully acted to protect its citizens and sovereignty and to ensure its survival as a nation. Israel has fought not only Hamas, but Hezbollah, Iraqi militants, the Houthis, and Iran itself over the past year. In Gaza, Israel issued multiple warnings over the course of days and weeks, allowing civilians in northern Gaza time to evacuate before launching its primary air and ground offensive in urban areas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also used their standard methods to minimize civilian harm, including calling and texting ahead of airstrikes and employing “roof-knocking,” where small munitions are dropped on buildings to signal an imminent strike and prompt evacuation.
The situation in the Middle East is tenuous. Let us not forget, it was Hamas who invaded Israel to conduct a massacre and take hostages. To understand this conflict, it is critical to fully understand the long history of violence that Israel and the Jewish people have faced which necessitated the country’s founding as well as the historic conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians.
To learn more, read the Policy Focus on Israel.