The reason why so many people are pro-Palestinian

The Israel-Hamas war has been at the top of national headlines for months now. The war began last year on October 7th. The terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The attack resulted in more than 1200 Israeli deaths and over 240 people taken hostage. It was the deadliest day in Israel’s history. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war.

The desire of Israel’s leaders to avenge the death of its citizens and protect it’s people from further atrocities is not only expected but necessary, and few people begrudge that nation’s decision to retaliate.

But Israel’s military actions have received criticism because of their impact on innocent Palestinians. A few days after the Hamas attack, Israel announced a siege on Gaza, blocking 2.2 million Palestinians from access to food, water, electricity, and fuel. This collective punishment is a war crime by the rules of the Geneva Convention. Moreover, as the Israeli military marches through the Gaza Strip in an attempt to eradicate Hamas once and for all, their rocket strikes and other acts of war have resulted in the death of over 35,000 Palestinian civilians.

Protests against Israel’s actions started almost immediately and may have reached a crescendo during the college graduation season. On many college campuses, students are using the occasion of commencement to protest the Hamas-Israel war.