Students reflect on Israel-Hamas conflict

On Oct. 7, 2023, the Islamic Resistance Movement, more widely known as Hamas, led a series of coordinated attacks against the people of Israel. These attacks resulted in the Israel Defense Force launching a series of airstrikes against Gaza, which has killed over 6,000 Palestinians and also left 1.4 million Palestinians without homes. As of Oct. 27, 1,410 Israelis have been killed, 5,132 Israelis have been wounded and 233 other Israeli citizens have been abducted by the terrorist organization, according to the Washington Post. Students at Samo with connections to loved ones in Israel have been adversely affected by the conflict.

This ongoing armed conflict has added another chapter to the conflict between Israel and Palestine that has lasted for exactly 75 years. However, several Samo students are reflecting on the effects that the war has had on the country, especially those with loved ones in the midst of the action, including a Samo student who wishes to remain anonymous.

“I have a lot of friends over in Israel that are currently serving in the army,” the student said. “I also studied abroad in Israel for four months last year so my family and I have a lot of connections to Israel.”

Every weeknight, thousands of Americans across the country tune into the evening network newscasts and look all over social media to hear updates on the situation. Watching it all unfold from so far away has brought about emotions of fear and worry throughout Samo’s community, as described by PBL student Toby Safchik ('25).

“I feel a lot of sadness and stress,” Safchik said. “Personally, one of my close friends from third grade is trapped in Israel and I’ve been trying to get in touch with him. It’s really hard to take my mind off of it.”

Many colleges across America have entered the national spotlight due to the many protests from supporters of both sides of the war. Columbia University, an Ivy League school in the Morningside Heights section of New York City, has garnered the most media attention out of the colleges because of a controversial, pro-Hamas stance by a politics and history professor at the university that has since sparked a walkout induced outrage throughout the Lions community. Other Ivy League schools such as Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania are also dealing with increased amounts of antisemitism both on campus and on social media. These student-led movements have put more fear into Samo’s Class of 2024, including PBL student Elliot Wechsler ('24). 

“I think it’s really scary as a Jew who’s going to college next year,” Wechsler said. “The amount of antisemitism that’s been unearthed through this conflict is terrifying and I don’t think I’d be able to control myself if I was in that scenario.”

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Contributor

Palestinians move south from Northern Gaza on November 10, fleeing violence and destruction caused by Hamas airstrikes.