A Year After October 7, South Asians Reflect
The Israel Gaza war has forever changed the world. The community discusses parallels with its own history, how to help, and the path forward.
It’s been one year since Hamas’s attack on Israel, when they killed 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals and took 251 people hostage. At least 10 who died were Nepali students studying agriculture. In the months since, Israel has retaliated and killed 41,500 Palestinians in Gaza.
For some, the conflict is a war of self-defense; for others, it is the continuation of a decades-long dispossession of Palestinians. All around the world, student-led groups have protested what they call the genocidal war in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and coexistence or even the dismantling of Israel. Meanwhile, the U.S., a longtime ally of Israel, has provided at least $12.5 billion in military aid to the country, which is sure to have consequences in the 2024 presidential election. The conflict has already expanded to Iran and Lebanon.
South Asia has a long history of diplomacy toward both Israel and Palestine, with India being the first non-Arab country to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and Bangladesh viewing its history as strongly intertwined with that of Palestine. The Juggernaut spoke to five South Asians, who have roots in the world’s most populous region, one that has had many similar conflicts of its own, on their observations over the past year.