Six months into the war photos of Israel and Gaza

The Gaza Strip Destroyed by a Hamas-Scale-III Militant Force in the First Days of World War II

Around 1,200 people were killed during the attacks, Israeli officials say, and more than 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. Around 130 hostages remain there six months later, some of whom are known to be dead.

People have been displaced in Gaza during the past months of war. Malnutrition, especially among Palestinian children, has risen to catastrophic levels, and the United Nations warns that famine may be imminent in northern Gaza. Much of the Gaza Strip now lies in ruins.

The Hamas-led militants took some 240 people hostage from Israel into Gaza on Oct. 7. Now 134 hostages remain in captivity, though some are known to be dead. During a temporary cease-fire in November, most of the others were released and two of them were rescued during a raid in February. Protests have grown in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urging the government to agree on a deal with Hamas for the remaining hostages’ release.

Israeli pulls some troops from southern Gaza, 6 months after Oct. 7 attacks: Monitors of Israeli-Mexican Counterattacks

Along the border with Lebanon, Israel’s neighbor to the north, Israel and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah are trading regular rocket fire, leading to fears of a wider war.

Six months has passed since Israel was invaded by Hamas, who launched surprise attacks the day before.

The inability of the Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of the remaining hostages was the catalyst for tens of thousands of protesters to take to the streets of Israel on Saturday.

The new talks were due to begin in Cairo on Sunday according to the Associated Press. Both Hamas and Israel will send delegations. Bill Burns was sent by the president to the talks.

The Israeli army announced Sunday that the 98th commando division had departed Gaza, after it “concluded its mission” in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant claimed in February that the military had defeated Hamas in the Khan Younis and was preparing to invade Rafah, which sits about five miles south along the border with Egypt, and where more than 1.2 million Palestinians are now displaced. Last month, Netanyahu announced Israel’s plan to capture Rafah.

John Kirby told ABC’s This Week on Sunday that it was unclear whether the announcement signaled anything about Israel’s broader war effort.

“It’s difficult to say what that tells us right now,” Kirby said. “As we understand it, and through their public announcements, it is really just about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months, and not necessarily — that we can tell — indicative of some coming new operation for these troops.”

Source: Israel pulls some troops from southern Gaza, 6 months after Oct. 7 attacks

The Palestinians’ Discontent: Telling Israel and the World What Israel Can’t Do about the Gaza Crisis and the Return of the Hostages

Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington D.C., said Palestinians were surprised that political leaders hadn’t done more to end the violence there.

But inside Israel, many Israeli Jews say the military shouldn’t take the suffering of people in Gaza into consideration as it conducts operations aimed in part at rescuing the Oct. 7 hostages still in captivity, said Israel Democracy Institute senior fellow Tamar Hermann.

“Once the hostages are back home, I’m sure that we will see much more criticism over what happened in Gaza, the suffering of the Gazans and the continuation of the war,” she told NPR.

Hermann suggested there is growing dissatisfaction in Israel over the government’s inability to bring all of the hostages home, and that some of the captives’ family members have begun to join the larger anti-government movement.

The conflict has also reverberated well beyond the borders of Gaza and Israel, capturing the world’s attention. The U.S. tried to balance its support for Israel with condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Meanwhile, the ongoing war has led to anger and additional fighting in other parts of the Middle East.