Nusrat Jahan || Own reporter
Department of Mass Communication and Journalism,
University of Barisal
Date : 21.03.25
“Childhood Born in the Ruins of War: A Sad Reality of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”.
All around silence, countless lives are falling, the birds of paradise are flying! Where does it end?
The night is deep, silence all around. A five-year-old child was suddenly woken up by a loud noise. The older brother lying next to him is gone—frozen beneath the rubble. Moaning in the mother’s eyes, dumb cry! Father did not return after the war. The child just stares, not old enough to understand, but feeling a deep emptiness in his heart. Tears well up in the eyes, and the innocent heart seeks only judgment from the Creator—”What was my fault?”
Thousands of such children wake up to the sound of bombs. They are born in the ruins, grow up seeing the horrors of war. Growing up with the pain of losing a loved one at the beginning of life, counting the days—”Now it’s my turn!”
The question in the trembling voice of a foolish child—”Mother, shall I also go to war?”
But he is still old enough to walk on his father’s hand, to spend time with colorful toys. But the reality is cruel! The little hand that was supposed to hold the doll, now stands guarding the father’s frozen body—guarding the corpse! These innocent children were not born for war. Yet they are victims of war. Their childhoods have been taken away, their dreams turned into dust. This war will not stop? Humanity will not awaken?
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Origins and Context
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict originated from the Balfour Declaration announced by the British government in 1917. British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour wrote a letter to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a member of the Jewish community, stating that the British government would work to establish a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine. The significance of this declaration of only 67 words was so profound that the crisis that resulted from it is still being carried by the people of the world.
Then, in 1920, the British government established Mandate rule in Palestine, which lasted until 1948. But the decision further exacerbated tensions between Arabs and Jews. Both sides were dissatisfied with British policy, resulting in conflict.
Arab resistance and the start of conflict
In 1936, Palestinians resisted Jewish settlements and formed the Arab National Committee. They called for a boycott of Jewish goods and launched an all-out movement against Jewish expansion. At this time, the British army also started supporting the Jews, thus making the situation more complicated.
Between 1937 and 1939, the conflict escalated, with at least 5,000 Palestinians killed, 15,000–20,000 injured, and nearly 5,500 prisoners. On the other hand, the Jews continued to advance the plan for the geographical division of Palestine.
1947-48: War and territorial conquest
In 1947, the United Nations proposed the partition of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state. The proposal allocated 55% of Palestine to the Jews, although only 32% of Palestine’s population was Jewish at the time. The civil war between Arabs and Jews started on November 30, 1947, based on this unfair division.
Later, British rule ended on May 14, 1948, and the Jews proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. In response, Palestine and surrounding Arab countries (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon) started a war against Israel.
The war lasted about 10 months, resulting in Israel occupying about 60% of Arab territory. As a result, 700,000 Palestinians became refugees and uprooted from their land.
“Naqaba” or Day of Disaster
Palestinians remember the 1948 war as the “Naqaba,” or Day of Catastrophe, because it marked the beginning of their ethnic cleansing. Although the war ended temporarily, the conflict continues today, becoming bloodier and more complex over time.
This conflict has become one of the most sensitive issues not only between the two nations, but also in international politics.
(Major Wars (1948-1970)
9: Firs1948-194t Arab-Israeli War
Seven and a half million Palestinians became refugees in this war, most of whom were driven from their lands. The war allowed Israel to expand its occupied territories, which is still considered a root cause of the Palestinian crisis today.
1967: Six-Day War (Third Arab-Israeli War)
From June 5 to 10, Israel was at war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Israel defeated three countries and captured the following territories: Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip, Jordan’s West Bank and East Jerusalem, Syria’s Golan Heights.
1969-1970: War of Attrition
On 8 March 1969, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser formally declared a ‘war of attrition’ against Israel. The conflict involved shelling, airstrikes and commando raids along the Suez Canal. The war lasted until August 1970, when a ceasefire was finally signed, but no permanent solution was reached. The war escalated tensions in the Middle East, setting the stage for subsequent Arab-Israeli conflicts.
1987: The Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the first intifada
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Palestinians have been resisting the occupation and oppression of their land. Following this, in 1987, Palestinians began a mass uprising against Israeli occupation, known as the First Intifada. The movement mainly takes place in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It was a resistance movement carried out through massive mass protests, strikes, boycotts of Israeli goods, stone-pelting and terrorism.
The main reason behind https://dailystarnewss.comthis rebellion was the Six Day War of 1967, in which Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. After a long period of occupation and persecution, the movement intensified on December 8, 1987, when an Israeli military truck crushed and killed four Palestinians in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza.
Israeli forces took drastic measures to quell the movement—mass arrests, curfews, shootings, and widespread repression. An estimated 1,200 Palestinians were martyred, thousands were injured and arrested.
The First Intifada officially ended in 1993 with the Oslo Accords. The agreement paved the way for Palestinian autonomy, which was an important chapter in the Palestinian independence movement.
Later in 1999, the “Ye River Memorandum” and “Camp David II” peace talks were held, but these were unsuccessful and peace was not established. This led to the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in early 2000, which started a longer conflict.
Between 2000 and 2021, a series of major conflicts occurred, in which hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were killed. This series of conflicts is still ongoing.
Israel-Palestine Conflict (2021-2025)A
2021 to present day conflict
At the start of the 2021 Ramadan month, on the night of April 13, Israeli police shut down the loudspeakers of Al-Aqsa Mosque, so as not to disrupt President Reuven Rivlin’s speech at the Western Wall. Palestinians strongly condemned the incident, and Mahmoud Abbas called it a “racist hate crime”. In the same month, Israeli police closed the plaza outside Damascus Gate, a traditional gathering place for Palestinians. This led to violent clashes and later the barricades were removed.
On April 15, after a Palestinian teenager slapped a Jew in a TikTok video, Al-Aqsa Mosque was limited to 10,000 people for prayers the next day. Thousands of worshipers were turned away without being allowed to pray.
About 70,000 worshipers attended Friday prayers on May 7, the last Friday of Ramadan, and large numbers of police were deployed. When some Palestinians threw stones at the police after the prayers, the police used stun grenades and tear gas. 300 Palestinians were injured in the clashes.
On May 8, the clashes intensified during the night of Lailatul-Qadr. Israeli police used stun grenades and water cannons, injuring 80 people. On May 10, Israeli police attacked al-Aqsa again, injuring 300 Palestinians and 21 Israeli police.
Israel-Palestine Conflict (2023)
In 2023, increased Israeli settlement rates and settler violence exacerbated tensions. After the 2021 conflict, violence escalated in Al-Aqsa Mosque and Gaza, killing more than 250 Palestinians and 32 Israelis. Hamas interprets these attacks as part of the resistance and calls on Palestinians to participate in the resistance. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency.
2024, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes on a more dire form. In February, Netanyahu announced a ground offensive in Gaza, displacing some 2.3 million Palestinians. Gaza was reduced to complete ruins, and there was a dire humanitarian crisis—food shortages and famine.
In mid-2024, anti-government protests began in various Israeli cities demanding a cease-fire and prisoner exchange. The pressure on Netanyahu increased and large rallies were held across the country.
Israel palestine conflict (2025)
Later, in January 2025, Israel and Hamas signed a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement, which took effect on January 19 and lasted until March 2. It said that the second phase of negotiations will take place before the contract expires. However, Israel violated the agreement and again attacked innocent people in Gaza on March 18, killing thousands of Palestinians.
Casualty and damage statistics
According to the 2023 report:
✅ In Gaza: over 41,825 killed, 97,590 injured, 9,312 prisoners, 10,000 missing, 19 million displaced.
✅ West Bank: 742 killed, 6,250 wounded, 11,200 prisoners.
Israel: 1,737 killed, 8,787 wounded, 251 prisoners, 7 missing.
The 2024 attacks also killed large numbers of Palestinians, mostly women and children. Gaza’s hospitals were destroyed, and medical care almost stopped. Due to lack of adequate ambulances and doctors, it is not possible to treat the injured.
After midnight last Monday, March 17, aircraft and drones bombarded Gaza. At least 404 Palestinians were killed. Most of them are women and children.
(Al-Jazeera)
Conclusion
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a long-standing one, but the scale of Israeli aggression is becoming more dire by the day. Repeated attacks by Israel despite the signing of a cease-fire agreement are gross violations of human rights. The international community should speak out against this injustice. We wish for a speedy end to the war and justice