Hamas—a Palestinian Islamist political and military organization—launched a large-scale attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory bordering the country, on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. As the brutal war between Israel and Hamas fighters continues, its presence on the Wesleyan campus and in surrounding communities is impossible to ignore. Student activism has since been ignited across campus, with organizations arranging meetings and protests, engaging on social media, and offering supplemental educational materials to peer groups.
Hamas breached the Israel-Gaza barrier with a coordinated combination of rocket attacks and vehicle-transported militants, killing, assaulting, and kidnapping hundreds of Israelis within the span of hours. In the following days, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a counterattack on Thursday, Oct. 12, pushing the Hamas militants back into Gaza and mobilizing along the border, which is among the most militarized in the world.
The conflict has provoked a range of responses from students, faculty, staff, and organizations on campus. Some students stressed the importance of a forceful Israeli military response, arguing that Hamas is expressly anti-Semitic and aims to tear down a legitimate Jewish state. Other students attributed the violence, in part, to years of settler colonialism by the Israeli government, which has pushed Palestinians off their native land.
Contextualizing the Debate
The Israeli Embassy has reported that over 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the conflict as of Thursday, Oct. 12. The Health Ministry in Gaza reports that over 1,400 Palestinians residing in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s response, including at least 326 children. The White House reported that at least 27 Americans have been killed as of Thursday, Oct. 12.
Israel’s counterattack has focused on the use of air strikes followed by ground troops. On Tuesday, the IDF called up approximately 360,000 troops from the army’s reserves in the largest military mobilization in Israel’s modern history. In its military response, the nation’s air strikes have targeted residential areas in Gaza, including apartment buildings and a refugee camp. The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. The IDF has defended the decision, saying that Hamas’ most significant strategic hubs lie within said residential areas. The United Nations humanitarian agency said that 338,934 Palestinians had been displaced in the Gaza Strip as of Thursday, Oct. 12.
“I think people are missing the point that either way it goes, whether Palestinians or Israelis are being killed, murder shouldn’t be happening,” said Talia Scott ’27. “You can support Palestinians and still be upset and horrified with the murder that is happening right now. I’ve seen some friends who have posted things about karma and how [the invasion] is retribution…I think they’re missing the point.”
The majority of Western countries condemned Hamas’ invasion for its severity and brutality. Hamas reported that the group took over one hundred hostages in an attack at an Israeli music festival on Saturday, with many survivors confirming reports of vicious physical attacks and shooting by militants at point-blank range. On Tuesday, an Israeli official confirmed that women had been beaten and raped by Hamas militants.
“We are at war,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday.
President Joe Biden spoke from the State Dining Room in the White House on Tuesday, Oct. 10. In his speech, he addressed the crisis, reiterating his support for Israel’s military response and forcefully denouncing the invasion.
“This was an act of sheer evil,” Biden said. “In this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel…. We will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel on Thursday, Oct. 12, meeting with Israeli survivors and the families of those taken hostage by Hamas. He detailed the State Department’s ongoing efforts to negotiate the release of hostages, and pledged the United States’ resolute support for Israel’s military efforts while calling for the IDF to focus on protecting Gazan civilians. He described Hamas’ invasion in stark terms.
“It’s beyond what anyone would ever want to imagine,” Blinken said in a press conference, standing next to Prime Minister Netanyahu. “A baby, an infant, riddled with bullets. Soldiers beheaded. Young people burned alive in their cars.”
On Monday, Israel ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, expanding its 16-year blockade of the area. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised a full-scale effort in which Israel would block electricity, water, food, and fuel from reaching Palestinian civilians.
“We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,” Gallant said on Monday.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Salima, the director of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, said on Wednesday that the hospital had only enough fuel to power its backup generators for four more days.
“If electricity stops, our hospitals will become nothing but mass graves,” Dr. Abu Salima said.
While the international community’s response has been relatively unified, some officials expressed concern over Israel’s plans for its siege of the Gaza Strip.
“UNICEF is extremely alarmed about measures to cut electricity, to cut food, to cut water, to cut fuel from entering Gaza,” James Elder, the spokesperson for the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, said on Tuesday, Oct. 10. “This will add another layer of suffering to…families in Gaza.”
No U.S. officials have echoed arguments like as these. Biden and Congressional leaders have pledged their support for allocating emergency funding to Israeli military efforts, and stressed the United States’ long standing relationship with the nation.
Members of some student organizations agreed with the notion that the United States is obligated to provide Israel with military and humanitarian support, although they remain divided on the issue.
“The powder keg that has been brewing over the last ten years…has exploded,” Matthew Lecher ’24, co-chair of the Wesleyan Democrats (WesDems), said. “But the attack by Hamas was heinous and evil. Israel is one of our strongest and oldest allies…. I think it’s the responsibility of the State Department to respond to this.”
Campus Responses
The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) hosted a two-hour Listening Circle on Monday to provide University community members with a safe space to both express emotions and voice concerns that have arisen within the past week. Over 50 people were in attendance, representing a diverse background of perspectives, including those who have lived in the Middle East or have close ties to the region.
“Many were looking for a place to talk openly without feeling criticized, judged, or labeled,” University Jewish Chaplain Rabbi David Leipziger Teva said. “There was a lot of active listening as well as tears and hugs.”
In attendance at the Listening Circle was ORSL Interfaith Literacy and Diversity Intern Mia Shenkman ’26, who found the Listening Circle to be a crucial event to encourage constructive dialogue among community members. Shenkman, along with the Wesleyan Jewish Community (WJC) Board, described their work to create spaces for Jewish and non-Jewish students to process the events together and sit with the emotions that stemmed from the crisis.
“In a time where it feels like we cannot do much except sit and debate over how to define this tragedy, I have found it feels most right to dedicate energy towards facilitating spaces of dialogue,” Shenkman said. “I feel so deeply for all students whose families and friends have been impacted by violence this week and hope that the wider campus can find more ways to collectively mourn.”
Wesleyan Students for Justice for Palestine (WeSJP) mobilized a group of four students to represent the University’s chapter at the New Haven Israel-Gaza parallel protests on Monday afternoon. The rally was co-sponsored by student groups across Connecticut, including WeSJP, the Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America, Yalies for Palestine, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation Connecticut. The rally remained peaceful, with police placing physical barricades between the aforementioned protesters and counterprotesters, who held Israeli flags.
“As a Jewish American, the last week has been devastating,” Batya Kline ’23, a graduate student who attended the protest, said. “It appalls me how America and the State of Israel weaponize our grief to commit genocidal atrocities against the people of Gaza. I feel hope for a future free from the State of Israel’s brutality and safe for the Palestinian and Jewish people.”
Kline and WeSJP member Fiona O’Reilly ’26 described the rally as a successful and meaningful experience.
“It was really grounding to be there with so many people fighting for Palestinian rights and global indigenous solidarity on Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” O’Reilly said.
WeSJP sent an email to members on Tuesday, in which it commented on the causes of the war.
“Wesleyan Students for Justice in Palestine unequivocally affirms that the origin of the violence in Palestine perpetrated by Hamas and the State of Israel since the morning of October 7th is the State of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian People,” the statement said.
WeSJP later updated its statement in an email to The Argus on Thursday, Oct. 12.
“We are horrified by the murder and harm of Israeli and Palestinian civilians,” O’Reilly wrote on behalf of WeSJP.
Wesleyan President Michael Roth ’78 condemned the conflict in a short blog post posted on Saturday, Oct. 7. However, this drew another response from WeSJP.
“We condemn Roth’s blatant disregard, placation, and abstracting of atrocities in his statement about ‘peacemakers,’” the statement to WeSJP members said.
One member of the class of 2025 who asked to remain anonymous argued that Hamas does not represent genuine Palestinian liberation interests.
“If you log onto Israeli news or Palestinian news…you will see videos of women, dead carcasses being paraded around with blood coming in between their legs,” the student said, referencing confirmed reports of beatings, rapes, and kidnappings committed by Hamas militants. “These are not the actions of a country. They’re not the actions of Palestine. They’re the actions of specific organizations.”
The Wesleyan Jewish Community (WJC), in a statement issued to members on Thursday, acknowledged that there is a wide spectrum of beliefs regarding, levels of knowledge of, and personal associations with the crisis within the broader Jewish community. The statement expressed concern regarding a potential uptick in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on and off campus.
“As you discuss this matter in the classroom and with your peers, please try to avoid using language that describes any identity group as monolithic,” WJC’s statement said. “And be sensitive to the fact that many people are hurting.”
The WJC described its aim to create a safe and supportive environment for all Jewish members, and plans to host various events on Friday, Oct. 13, with the goal of uniting the University community. A Supportive Listening Circle is planned at 2:30 p.m. in the ORSL Lounge at 169 High St. Other opportunities for Jewish community members on the same day include a Pre-Shabbat Schmooze space for additional listening and support, and weekly Shabbat services in the Bayit that will include a space for mourning and praying.
Continuing the Discussion
Associate Professor of Government, Co-Chair of the College of Social Studies, and Coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies Ioana Emy Matesan emphasized the importance of unity during this time of devastation and uncertainty.
“This is a difficult terrain to navigate, and universities need to make sure that they remain safe spaces for both their Jewish and their Palestinian students,” Matesan said. “I hope that the Wesleyan community can become an example of how we can come together to support and uplift one another, to create a safe space for all our members.”
Matesan sees both a clear condemnation of the Hamas attacks and assaults against civilians as crucial to halting continuous cycles of violence. She also acknowledged the gravity that the conflict holds beyond country borders.
“Beyond the direct connection, these events also hold a powerful symbolism to them about threats to collective identities, and they can activate strongly held beliefs on highly politicized issues,” Matesan said.
Matesan teaches the course “Comparative Politics of the Middle East” (GOV270) in the Spring Semester. The class explores the political climate of both the Middle East and North Africa. While the Israel-Gaza conflict is not the most prominent theme of the course, it inevitably prompts discussion.
“From now until spring things can evolve in some unpredictable ways, so how exactly I will choose to approach [the conflict] in the class remains to be seen, depending on how the situation progresses,” Matesan said.
Matesan typically invites scholars and activists to video call with her students, but is concerned for their well-being during this time.
“I have a friend from Gaza who has spoken to my class multiple times, giving us a sense of the reality on the ground,” Matesan said. “The grim reality is that when thinking about next spring, neither her access to electricity nor her physical safety are a guarantee.”
Perspectives on Misinformation
Many students remain divided on the most effective way to provide one another with updates and information. Some students argued that while everyone has the right to espouse their support for Israel, Palestine, or a combination thereof via social media, misinformation has led to partially or fully untrue narratives that can go viral.
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that such misinformation campaigns have included a forged White House press release announcing billions of dollars in extra funding for Israel and false reports that a top Israeli commander had been kidnapped. There is no evidence that any Wesleyan students reposted such reports, although Eli Fellus ’27 argued that misinformation on social media has warped perceptions of the conflict within the student body.
“There are people who don’t know what’s going on, and I think that’s kind of messed up,” Fellus said.
A member of the class of 2026 who requested anonymity reiterated the importance of critically thinking about where information comes from.
“I think that people need to go to much more reliable sources,” the anonymous student said. “People need to be more careful and not rally behind Instagram posts.”
Anna McDonald ’26 argued that much of the pro-Israel sentiment on social media lacks context.
“I think that people are very misinformed,” McDonald said. “[Some] people think that it is an apolitical statement to say that [they] stand with Israel. They’re ignoring the years of violence that [Palestinians have experienced].”
Students searching for campus resources can contact Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at counseling@wesleyan.edu and ORSL Chaplains Rabbi David Leipziger Teva at dleipziger@wesleyan.edu, Shaykh Jamir D. Meah at jmeah@wesleyan.edu, and Reverend Tracy Mehr-Muska at tmehrmuska@wesleyan.edu.
Alec Wilson contributed to reporting.
Carolyn Neugarten can be reached at cneugarten@wesleyan.edu.
Miles Pinsof-Berlowitz can be reached at mpinsofberlo@wesleyan.edu.
Miles Craven can be reached at mcraven@wesleyan.edu.
Correction: This article previously misspelled Ioana Emy Matesan’s last name and has been updated.