At least 1,500 people have died in Israel and the Gaza Strip since Hamas, a Palestinian militant group and U.S.-recognized terrorist organization, launched surprise attacks against Israel on Saturday, as reported by CBS News.
The conflict began early Saturday when Hamas fired missiles towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, a region more than twice the size of Washington, D.C., that has been under Hamas control since 2007. The initial attack and following invasion into Israel by Hamas, which is backed by Iran, have caused the deaths of at least 900 Israelis, an Israeli embassy spokesperson said Monday.
“More Jews were killed during Saturday’s assault than in any single day since the end of the Holocaust,” the World Jewish Congress wrote Sunday.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, over 687 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,700 more have been wounded by Israel’s response as of Monday.
Israel has retaliated since declaring war on Hamas and condemning Hamas’s “mindboggling” attacks with multiple airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel’s other enemies for decades to come,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.
Late Monday evening, a spokesman for Hamas said that Hamas will execute one Israeli hostage every time that Israel militants attack civilian homes in Gaza “without warning.” The spokesman added that Hamas will broadcast the executions publicly “in audio and video.”
In a recorded statement following the surprise attack, Hamas’s military wing commander Mohammed Deif, said, “we have previously warned the Israeli occupation against continuing their crimes and appealed to world leaders to work on putting an end to the Israeli crimes against our Palestinian people and detainees.”
Beyond the territorial dispute, Hamas has a well-documented history of violent antisemitic sentiments.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned Hamas’s actions against Israel in a statement on Saturday.
“The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel,” the statement reads.
According to Biden, at least 11 Americans are among the dead. Biden also said in another statement Monday he is aware that “American citizens still remain unaccounted for.”
The Gaza Strip has been a heavily disputed territory for decades according to the CIA’s World Factbook. After Israel declared independence in 1948, five Arab nations invaded Israel in the first of several Israeli-Arab wars. After several months of fighting, Israel signed truces with the Arab nations and Egypt gained possession of Gaza. In 1967, Israel gained control of the Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt.
After decades of conflict, the 1993 Oslo Accords saw parts of the territories, including Gaza, come under the political jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority.
USC President Carol Folt shared a statement on social media Saturday offering her support for those affected on all sides of the conflict.
“The grave events and the tragic loss of life taking place right now in Israel and Gaza fill us with such sadness. Our hearts go out to the millions of people there and to our own Trojan students, staff, faculty, families, and alumni hurting and in fear for loved ones,” Folt wrote.
While Folt’s statement was met with some criticism over a lack of condemnation towards Hamas’s initial attacks, USC’s Professor Emerita in the Department of Middle East Studies, Laurie Brand, told Annenberg Media that the school must provide support to all affected.
“The university’s first responsibility is toward its community, students and faculty,” Brand said. “I’m sure that there are a lot of students at this point that are dealing with trauma, and that’s going to continue and probably expand in terms of numbers.”
As the death toll continues to rise, Brand does not expect the number to become stagnant any time soon.
“I think the violence is going to get much, much worse in Gaza before we see a sort of an end to this particular episode,” she said.
Sarah Gualtieri, a USC professor of Middle East studies and history, hopes for a ceasefire.
“It’s a very terrifying situation. It’s very terrifying for Israelis being held hostage. It’s been terrifying for Gazans under siege. There needs to be a ceasefire,” Gualteri said.
“The situation is terrifying, but it has to be understood as a product of an ongoing military and political conflict that did not need to reach this stage,” Gualtieri concluded.
There are multiple resources available for affected USC students.
Through USC Counseling and Mental Health Services, students have access to a 24/7 crisis support hotline, counseling workshops, one-on-one counseling and group counseling. Students can access these resources through the MySHR student portal.
“We pray for the safe return of those in danger and captivity, comfort for those who have experienced profound loss, and enduring peace for Israel and its inhabitants, and for all the world,” USC Hillel, a Jewish organization on campus, wrote in a statement on Instagram.
The organization is also hosting a community support gathering Monday at 8 p.m. at the Hillel building located at 3300 S Hoover St. On Tuesday, the organization will host a vigil at the Tommy Trojan statue on campus at 6 p.m.j
Jack Smith contributed to this story.