Let's Discuss What's Happening in the Israel vs. Hamas Conflict

We understand this situation is very complicated and emotional, and plan to keep the discussion respectful and civilized. Our team thinks it's the most important issue we could discuss now.
The simple, yet terrible facts:
About 1,400 people in Israel have died, mostly civilians killed in the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the war. 240 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza.

In a statement on Monday, Nov. 6, Gaza's Ministry of Health said the death toll has risen to at least 10,022 Palestinians, including 4,104 children, with many victims still trapped beneath the rubble and an Israeli siege drying up access to vital goods like fuel, food and electricity.
Why this, why now?
Why did Hamas attack Israel now, starting the current conflict? It was a well-planned operation, some saying it was secretly planned and practiced for a year or more. Hamas, a militant group that has controlled the densely populated Gaza Strip since 2006, has said the aim of attack was “to free Palestinian prisoners, stop Israeli aggression on al-Aqsa Mosque, and to break the siege on Gaza.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/17/israel-hamas-war-reason-explained-gaza/

Israel declared war on Hamas that day, Oct. 7. So what does Israel plan to accomplish with their seige and attacks on Gaza? Israel has vowed to “destroy” Hamas, an organization that has been entrenched in Gaza for decades and in power since 2006, but the Israeli government has yet to outline what it envisions for the densely populated enclave after the military operation ends.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/israel-destroy-hamas-who-will-govern-gaza-rcna120766

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said there is a "clear goal of destroying Hamas's military and governing capabilities", as well as freeing hostages.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975
Atrocities of war on both sides:
Many leaders and groups around the world think Israel's response (10,000 lives for 1,640) is extreme.
The U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, "Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children." He explained, "Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe," Guterres told reporters. 89 aid workers have been killed, highest ever toll in conflicts.

"At the same time, Hamas and other militants use civilians as human shields and continue to launch rockets indiscriminately towards Israel," he said, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pressure-israel-over-civilians-steps-up-ceasefire-calls-rebuffed-2023-11-06/

Recently, former President Obama said what many people around the world are thinking: “What Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it,” Mr. Obama said. “And what is also true is that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/04/us/politics/obama-israel-palestine.html

An interview with a Palenstinian official who had 44 family members killed:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/t-believe-humanity-low-fatah-155221233.html

Israel believes this attack by Hamas was the final straw. The group is sworn to Israel's destruction and wants to replace it with an Islamic state.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67039975

Will the war be restricted to Israel/Palestine?
The conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza has set off a chain reaction in the Middle East, and Western officials are increasingly concerned that it could trigger a wider war that draws in more nations.
Growing outrage in Middle Eastern capitals and much of the world over the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is adding more fuel to an already volatile mixture that has seen violence spread to the West Bank, Israel’s northern border, the Red Sea and to Iraq and Syria, where U.S. forces have come under repeated drone and rocket fire from Iran’s proxies.
“There are so many factors that could push this into something uncontrollable,” said one Western official. “It’s a dangerous moment.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/will-israel-hamas-gaza-conflict-spark-wider-war-united-states-rcna122991

Noam Chomsky's thoughts on the region and situation from 8 years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/898668211605756