Pain of Israel-Hamas war reaches Castro Valley

Shock ripped across the world on Oct. 7 when around 3,000 rockets launched at Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Following the surprise attack, Israel retaliated by invading Gaza. Now, as casualties rise, CVHS students and families with ties to the region are filled with fear and apprehension about the future.

 “I feel small in comparison to this massive conflict,” said teacher and CVHS alumnus Lisa Carmack, who is Jewish. “I feel so much grief for my Israeli and Palestinian siblings who are suffering disproportionate loss.”

The conflict between Palestine and Israel has been ongoing since 1948. Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, including illegal land confiscation and settlement, have displaced thousands of Palestinians. Hamas was founded in 1987 and claims to oppose this Israeli occupation. It is designated a terrorist group by the European Union and multiple countries, including the US. However, the situation is far more complicated.

“[It is] philosophically challenging to have conversations about right and wrong when proportionally most of the people dying are Palestinian,” reflected Carmack. “The blame seems to always go back to Palestinian civilians, even when they’re dying by Israeli bombs.” 

According to the Gaza ministry, over 15,000 people in Gaza, including over 6,000 children, have been killed, and around 7,000 are reported missing. Many of these missing people are believed to be buried under rubble caused by intensified Israeli bombings. At the same time, 1,200 Israelis have been killed, and over 100 people are still being held hostage by Hamas. 

Many Palestinians believe the current conflict must be understood while taking the region’s complex history into consideration.

“The news doesn’t really shine light on what Israel has done in the past,” said Palestinian senior Noura Rabah. “We’ve seemed to make the history irrelevant and we’ve made the present the main focus. Israel has been fighting Palestine for about 75 years now, using advanced weapons and America’s financial aid against a country that has no army, no weapons, no money and no central government.” With the rising destruction and deathtoll in Gaza, Rabah believes that “technically this [conflict] cannot be called a war; this is a genocide.”  

Many others disagree with this designation. They point to stories of Hamas’s torture of Israeli civilians and other violent acts, as well as its goal to erase the state of Israel.

However, some more progressive Jews agree that Israel is becoming too violent in its actions towards Palestine and hope for an end to the war soon. 

  “I think that Israel’s government is extremely corrupt and that’s one of the many issues [in the region],” said junior Leah Langer, who is Jewish. “I also think people need to stop putting darkness over what Israel is doing on the news.”

CVHS Wellness Center’s lead social worker Samuel Frank has put together a circle where students affected by the war can meet together.

“Everyone’s been hurt by this, so the power of being in a circle together and hearing how other people have been affected is so powerful for building a community and generating healing,” said Frank, who identifies as a progressive Jew.

Many Israeli and Palestinian people in the U.S. feel helpless and lost. Not knowing what the news will look like tomorrow, and how or when the fighting will end, is the scariest thing for not just the first-hand victims, but also those with ties to the conflict, like Rabah, Langer and Carmack.

“My family has been affected, as they are in and out of the bomb shelters, but they are nowhere near as affected as the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Langer. 

Carmack also has family who have been hurt by the situation. “I have empathy for those living under tyranny, even those who don’t share my beliefs,” she explained. “My family was lucky enough to get out of Eastern Europe before the Holocaust, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been affected by antisemitism.”

The ongoing conflict is bringing a lot of uncomfort and stress to people all around the world. Although an end to the fighting seems far away, many hope that peace will be achieved quickly before more tragedies occur.