Just the heads up y'all this episode contains some strong language and descriptions of violence

that might not be suitable for some listeners.

You're listening to Code Switch, I'm Jean Demby. On October 7th, 2023, almost one year ago to this day,

Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people. They took another 250 people

hostage. That attack shocked the world. It was by some measures the deadliest day for

Israelis in the country's history, a day that was quickly

compared to 9-11 and described by some as the single deadliest day for Jews

since the end of the Holocaust. In the aftermath of this carnage,

Israel's government vowed to take swift action.

Almost immediately, the Israeli military launched its response,

which at first took the form of bombing Gaza. Within hours

the region was an all-out war. But while the war in name was supposed to be

between Israel and Hamas, it soon became clear that the vast

majority of victims would be ordinary Gazans. Over the course of weeks, then months,

then a year, the death toll for the people of Gaza

was skyrocket from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands according to the

Gaza Health Ministry. Their estimates, which don't differentiate between combatants and civilians,

now suggest that more than 41,500 Gazans

have been killed by the Israeli military in the past year. Many of those

killed have been children. The past year has seen global protests calling for

a ceasefire urging the violence to stop but the end still doesn't seem to be in sight.

Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon and Iran have entered the fray, and diplomatic

...