October 7, 2023, sparked the biggest break in tension between Palestine and Israel and this conflict is still a major issue today. Months later, both sides have fired back and forth at each other and this war has killed more than 20,000 Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis.

Updates are happening daily, everyone is devastated while hundreds of protests are currently taking place in countries worldwide. Hamas, a Palestinian military organization, began this latest conflict with a deadly attack on Israel.

With more and more news coming out every single day about the tragedies going on, more and more people are protesting, and many people are doing everything they can to bring attention to what is happening. The scariest revelation about what is happening is the major bombing of Rafah, which is in the southern section of the Gaza Strip. Thousands of people have been injured, property destroyed, and thousands of deaths have been recorded. There’s also the worry of how there might not be a ceasefire or stop to this conflict for a long, long time.

With these tragedies occurring in Gaza, people are protesting in countries all around the world. There’s been protests from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine parties and this is greatly influencing people’s thoughts about the conflict. Pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for an immediate ceasefire on what is now becoming a large-scale war.  You can even see many people protesting certain companies that support one side or the other side. One of the major companies being boycotted is Starbucks.

The school community of Birmingham also thinks this conflicting tragedy is difficult to deal with. I interviewed Rebeca Casillas (11) who gave insight into what students are thinking. “It’s scary knowing that people in other countries are being killed and dying.” People worldwide have shared their opinions, so hearing it from a local angle shows how personal this conflict can be. I asked her how she and other people could show support. She replied, “Talking about it is important, and letting people know what’s going on could somehow bring peace to the innocent people in the middle of this.”

There is a heartache in the world right now as everyone is saddened by how it affects all the innocent families being killed as they, unfortunately, live in the target areas. Every day there’s more and more news about what’s happening. Hopefully, soon, peace can be brought back and hope can be restored to the families and friends of those who have died.