Gaza is under siege with Israel unleashing airstrikes after a weekend attack by Hamas left 900 people dead, including 11 Americans.
Late Tuesday, Oct. 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the counter strike was only just the beginning after this weekend’s attack against Israelis by the Hamas militant group that took power years ago. Representatives of Hamas have said they will execute Israeli hostages if attacks on Palestine don’t stop.
Israel’s defense minister has ordered a complete siege on Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, fuel, and water to the hundreds of thousands of people who live there.
Local 4 wanted to hear from people who have studied the region to provide context on what’s happening now, what led up to the latest flare-up, and when it could end. There’s concern that this could grow into a more significant conflict.
Wayne State University professors Howard Lupovitch and Saeed Khan have offered their perspectives on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“The only thing that we know with any level of certainty is that the bloodshed is going to, unfortunately, increase and intensify over the next several days,” said Khan.
This all came after Hamas carried out a surprise attack by air, sea, and land on Saturday (Oct. 7), leaving hundreds of people dead.
Israel responded with strikes, killing hundreds.
“Israel has dealt with Hamas before for a very long time,” said Lupovitch. “What’s unique here is that Israel was caught off guard in certain ways, and there’s going to be a lot of discussion as to why that happened.”
Tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians have existed for decades, even before Israel’s founding in 1948.
Both men are closely watching the United States Government’s response to what’s unfolding in the region.
“It seems as though the United States right now is most interested in containing this conflict, keeping it as isolated as possible, as well as, of course, looking for the neutralization of Hamas, but making sure that it does not then spill over into something that is bigger,” Khan said.
“So the American government, I think, very rightly, has really expressed its solidarity with the state of Israel,” Lupovitch said. “Israel is a very close ally to the United States. We share many values in common. And the hope is that they’ll continue to do that.”
There are many people in Metro Detroit with connections to the region.
Of course, many of them are worried about their loved ones.
Lupovitch and Khan believe the attacks could last days, weeks, or even months as it could spiral into a complicated conflict.
Lior Zisser-Yogev moved with her family to Metro Detroit from Israel a few months ago to serve as the Israeli emissary to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
“We came here to do Israel programming and bring the community closer around Israel,” said Zisser-Yogev. “We never imagined that anything like this would happen so soon into our work here. This is a brutal terror attack. Hamas must be stopped.”
Zisser-Yogev said she’s worried about her family and friends back home, including her brother, who serves in the Israel Defense Forces.
“We just pray that we won’t get any news,” Zisser-Yogev said. “We’re happy not to know anything that’s going on. Because as long as we don’t hear anything, it means that he’s safe.”
Zisser-Yogev’s husband is on reserved duty in the IDF and wants to return to Israel to help.
Khalid Turaani, a Metro Detroiter of Palestinian descent, argues the initial attack by Hamas shouldn’t be viewed in isolation.
“Some people want to think of the history as it started on Oct. 7, but the Palestinians have endured the longest occupation regime in modern history,” said Khalid Turaani.
Turaani said he has been concerned about how this conflict is being framed.
“People can try to analyze, talking heads can spend hours and hours trying to analyze the situation, and if you don’t deal with the root cause, and that is the Israeli occupation of the Palestinians, you’re always going to be skirting the issue,” Turaani said.