Nicholas Petro
Professor Cawley
ENGL 3616 - R01
5 April 2024
War in Gaza: Not Just a Military Operation, But a Civilian Calamity
On October 7, 2023, what had been a military conflict going back decades between Israel and Palestine, became a full scale, devastating war after Hamas’ attack on Israel (Congressional Research Service). As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has progressed, the death toll has inevitably risen, and Gaza’s infrastructure is being destroyed. While Israel had wide-ranging support to defend themselves, they have continued to launch a brutal and devastating assault on Gaza, leading to many civilian casualties and injuries. As the war has continued to progress, many people have begun speaking out against it due to the number of civilian injuries and casualties, as well as the areas and buildings that Israel is attacking.
One of the people who has spoken out against the war and has called for an immediate ceasefire is activist and Congresswoman Cori Bush. On November 6, 2023, she posted the following statement on Instagram: “The death toll in Gaza has now exceeded 10,000 people, nearly half of which are children, and tens of thousands have been injured. Hospitals have been bombed, meaning many of those injured lack access to care. This must end now. #CeasefireNOW.” This is a very revealing and important post. This post highlights what war is truly like. Congresswoman Bush begins by mentioning that the death toll in Gaza has exceeded 10,000 people. This post was posted on Instagram on November 6, 2023 - one month after the war began. This highlights how deadly and atrocious war is. In only one month, over 10,000 people were killed, and tens of thousands of people were injured. Congresswoman Bush also mentions that nearly half of the people who have been killed in Gaza are children. This once again points out the reality of war. Death and destruction are not limited to the military. The reality is that civilians living in war zones will get injured and/or die. Their property will be destroyed. They will live in constant fear. Congresswoman Bush concludes this post by saying that hospitals have been bombed, resulting in those who are injured not being able to receive medical care. This once again shows the lived experience of those living in war zones. Something as basic as having access to a hospital for medical care is not available to those living in a war zone.
This post attempts to highlight what war really feels like for those living in a war zone. This post defines war as an atrocious, mass casualty event. It defines war as a bloody and terrifying experience for those living in a war zone. As a result, the goal of this post is to build resistance to war. It is hard for people who do not live in a war zone to get an accurate depiction of what war is really like. While we all see images, videos, and news reports on TV, it is hard to get a real sense of what it is like to live in a war zone. We do not have to worry about getting struck by a missile when we leave our house. We do not have to worry about being taken hostage by an opposing military while walking down the street. We do not have to worry about not having access to food, water, and other necessities. We do not have to worry about not having access to a hospital if we need medical aid. The people in Gaza and others living in war zones do not have these same luxuries and securities. There is always a constant fear for those living in a war zone that today will be their last day alive. Because it is so hard for those not living in war zones to get a feel as to what life in an active war zone is like, this post attempts to highlight what it is like. This post is effective because instead of merely showing images of the atrocities in Gaza (images that many people have become accustomed to seeing and are frankly not fazed by) it uses words to highlight the death and destruction. Instead of showing injured and dead people, which are common images in the media and pop culture today, it gives a statistic as to the number of people who have died. Instead of showing a random blown-up building, something also commonly seen in the media and pop culture, it states that the destroyed building is actually a hospital - leaving those in need of medical aid without a place to go to. The reality is that while war is often depicted as a military conflict, civilians are the ones that suffer.
My analysis of this post has opened my eyes and shifted my perspective of war. While I have been surrounded by images and reports of military conflict all my life, I never truly realized how devastating war is for civilians. When I think about war, I often think about military conflict - probably because that is usually what is being reported and shown on the news. However, this post has shown me that war is not simply a conflict between military forces; it is also an event of destruction and devastation for civilians forced to endure it.
Works Cited
Bush, Cori [@coribush]. “The death toll in Gaza has now exceeded 10,000 people, nearly half of which are children, and tens of thousands have been injured. Hospitals have been bombed, meaning many of those injured lack access to care. This must end. #CeasefireNOW.” Instagram, 6 Nov. 2023, https://www.instagram.com/coribush/p/CzUJ236pUWA/.
Congressional Research Service. “Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict - CRS Reports.” Israel and Hamas October 2023 Conflict: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), 2023, crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47754.
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