According to The Guardian, “Deteriorating relations between Hamas and Fatah resulted in violence. An agreement to form a national unity government fell apart and Hamas led an armed takeover of Gaza while Fatah continued to control the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank,” with reference to roots of conflict.
At Brophy, the students have a right to express their opinions, with reason and respect. “I think there’s a lot of unnecessary deaths on both sides in the [Gaza] conflict,” said Zak Tanveer ’25, President of the Muslim Student Union at Brophy and a practicing member of the Islamic faith. “I don’t think there’s any justification for both sides to have started it.”
With reference to the importance of dialogue about the conflict, Tanveer emphasized that communication between different perspectives is crucial. “The discussion part of it, I think it’s really important because without it, people can get really [one-sided],” he said. “They might be only getting information from one thing, which influences them. If you’re able to collaborate with multiple people, then you’re able to see different opinions.”
On the other hand, “I think personally from the situation, from what I’ve gathered. I think it’s tough on both sides, but I do believe that the Palestinians were the aggressor in the situation,” said Jake Levine ’25, a practicing member of Judaism and one who has studied the tensions in the region. Unlike Tanveer’s more neutral stance, Levine is in support of the Israelis in Gaza.
In reference to a possible end of the conflict, students had differing opinions. Levine believed the conflict would end in a ceasefire, saying, “They end up just getting a ceasefire until the next one [attacks]. It’ll probably end up happening sooner or later,” Tanveer focused on the importance of dialogue between groups to foster understanding.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the nature of the conflict, who is the victim vs. aggressor, how it will end, etc., Levine said, “[I] think it’s a great discussion. I think as long as it’s kept respectful because I know there’s a lot of instances where it’s not very much kept respectfully, but I think respectful discourse on something like this between like two opposing sides is very good because I do understand there’s an issue there.”
At Brophy, students have been actively engaged in promoting peace and understanding. “My junior year, we had a prayer for peace for what’s happening in the Middle East. It was between the Jewish Union and then the Muslim Union. We both said prayers,” Tanveer explained. Additionally, Brophy has served as a rest stop for a Christian organization conducting peaceful walks to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza.
Currently, talks of ending the conflict and establishing a ceasefire have been ignored as fighting continues to persist. According to Aljazeera, “Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says the new bombardment is ‘only the beginning’ and that all negotiations for the shattered Gaza ceasefire, which lasted just under two months, will now take place ‘under fire.'”
Despite the conflict, it is important to remember that at Brophy, these discussions reflect the conversations necessary to navigate through complex conflicts. Regarding tensions on campus, Tanveer noted, “I know like in class when the conflict first started, I feel like tensions were a lot higher, but I think now that there’s been more talks about it and more information has just come out in general, I think it’s settled down.” With profound humanitarian implications, it is important to maintain space for conflicting perspectives while prioritizing factual reporting.