Now a year since the events of Oct. 7, 2023, the people of Gaza “have endured an unmitigated humanitarian catastrophe,” with over 40,000 Palestinian lives lost, widespread famine, polio outbreaks — due to unsanitary water and sewage conditions — and a reduction to safe zones in the state though “humanitarian aid borders” which have “most of Gaza’s 2.2 million people … confined to an area of roughly 15 square miles,” or about 39 square kilometres.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which is funded and armed by Iran, have been engaging in missile strikes with Israel since October 2023. In late September, Israeli air strikes killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, and since then tensions have risen further. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel faces war “on seven fronts,” which include “Iranian-backed Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, ‘terrorists’ in the West Bank and the Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged Canadians to “get out of Lebanon while they can,” and arranged for airplane seats for Canadians seeking evacuation. Two Canadians were killed in South Lebanon by an Israeli air strike while trying to flee from the conflict: 74-year-old Hussein Tabaja and 69-year-old Daad Tabaja.
Kiara Okonkwo is a writer and creative. She received a diploma in Screenwriting from Vancouver Film School and is pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Media and Communication Studies. Kiara values self-expression and authenticity.