Global Need-to-Know highlights three stories spotlighting relevant pieces of international news. These global stories aim to broaden the perspective of the Taylor community as they absorb information from a variety of sources and spaces.
Israel-Gaza conflict draws attention to decades-long dispute.
The Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas staged its largest attack to date on Saturday, Oct. 7.
In a surprise assault, Hamas fighters fired rockets on Israel from the Gaza Strip, crossing the border by boat and paraglider and taking an estimated 200 civilians hostage. Israel responded with a declaration of war and counter-strikes, calling up 300,000 army reserves in an effort to end Hamas’ rule in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called for a complete siege on the Gaza Strip — cutting off access to electricity, food, water and fuel. Israel also released an evacuation order that has since pushed people into the southern corner of Gaza; the U.N. human rights office has classed this forced relocation of civilians, combined with the full siege, as a crime against humanity and breach of international law. Those evacuated have yet to be provided proper accommodation, an Al Jazeera article published on Oct. 17, notes.
This most recent attack is rooted in a decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestinian territories that holds both religious and historical significance. Stemming from competing claims to the Holy Land, the conflict has encompassed disagreements over borders, Jerusalem, security and Palestinian refugees.
Hamas’ relationship with Israel, specifically, has been defined by conflict since the group took power in Gaza in 2007. Funded and equipped by Iran, Hamas is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S., the E.U. and the U.K.
Gaza, where Hamas is concentrated, is a 25-mile-long strip of land sandwiched between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza makes up Palestinian territory together with the West Bank and East Jerusalem — and, along with the other Palestinian territories, has been illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. With roughly 2.3 million occupants, Gaza boasts one of the highest population densities in the world.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) records that 5,360 Palestinians and 52 Israelis have died in Gaza since 2008 in the context of occupation and conflict.
The casualty count, according to an Al Jazeera update published on Oct. 16, includes over 2,800 people killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza and over 1,400 killed in Hamas’ attack on Israel — largely civilians, caught in the crossfire and unable to escape the conflict. The death toll continues to climb as fighting escalates.
Francesca Albanese, the U.N.’s rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territories, called for an even-handed response from the international community.
“ ... it is possible, and necessary, to stand both with the Palestinians and the Israelis without resorting to ethical relativism, to selective outrage or worse, calls for violence,” Albanese stated.
U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel and Jordan on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The U.S. has agreed to develop a plan with Israel to allow humanitarian aid from donor nations to reach civilians in Gaza, an AP article noted.
Major dam burst in India leads to extensive flooding.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 4, a glacial lake overflow cracked the largest hydroelectric dam in Sikkim state. The resulting floodwaters swept through mountain towns in the valley below, erasing infrastructure and affecting more than 22,000 individuals.
Along with local residents, nearly 4,000 tourists and 23 Indian soldiers were caught in the flooding after the flood waters hit nearby army camps. Though casualty counts vary, a recent article from Reuters brings the death toll to 42.
Reports from the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, posted on the Government of Sikkim’s website, name the districts affected, details of loss, damage to infrastructure and the number of relief camps opened by state authorities. According to the reports, 23 relief camps were established, and close to 2,500 people were rescued by Saturday, Oct. 7. More recent releases note that three more rescue camps have opened since that date.
An article published by Al Jazeera highlights ongoing rescue efforts, with close to 100 people still missing in the aftermath of the flooding. Efforts have been complicated by difficult weather conditions and limited land access.
Natural disasters sparked by landslides and flooding are not uncommon in the Himalayan northeast — particularly during the monsoon season between the months of June and September, an AP article emphasized.
The Teesta 3 dam, built 6 years ago on Lhonak Lake, was controversial from the get-go, an ABC article states. A 2019 report marked the lake as “highly vulnerable” to flooding.
Iranian activist receives Nobel Peace Prize while imprisoned.
Inmate Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, Oct. 6, in recognition of her efforts on behalf of women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty.
Mohammadi, currently serving sentences with a 12-year imprisonment penalty in Tehran’s Evan Prison, is the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. Her offenses, which include spreading anti-state propaganda, have led to more than a dozen arrests and five convictions in her lifetime — a reality which has kept Mohammadi from seeing her husband for 15 years and her children for seven, according to a Reuters article.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, applauds his wife’s achievement.
"This Nobel Prize will embolden Narges' fight for human rights, but more importantly, this is in fact a prize for the 'woman, life and freedom' movement," Rahmani told Reuters.
The award is both a recognition of Mohammadi’s work and an effort from the Norwegian Nobel Committee to support Iranian women’s rights.
Tehran has accused the Nobel committee of meddling with and politicizing human rights.
"The Nobel Peace committee has awarded a prize to a person convicted of repeated law violations and criminal acts, and we condemn this as biased and politically motivated," Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, stated.
Despite the pushback, Mohammadi’s work has continued from prison.
Much of this work has taken the form of organized prison protests, opinion pieces and weekly workshops informing female inmates of their rights. She is determined to stay in Iran, despite the consequences.
“Standing alongside the brave mothers of Iran, I will continue to fight against the relentless discrimination, tyranny and gender-based oppression by the oppressive religious government until the liberation of women,” Mohammadi said in a written statement to the New York Times.
Mohammadi is the 19th woman overall and the second Iranian woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her prize of roughly $1 million will be awarded in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 10.
