Content warning: The following article contains mentions of war and death.

In my last article, I made a case that the war between Israel-Hamas could potentially spur a greater conflict (World War III). This article is in response to those who may feel that this is an alarmist view. I must note that I never stated this war will inevitably fall into a greater catastrophe. I stated that it could, which is plausible given how intertwined the world is in the region. 

A commenter on my last article stated that the current war between Israel and Hamas is “nothing” compared to the Yom Kippur War of 1973. This is an incredibly bold claim when we simply compare the death tolls. For example, Israel lost 2,688 soldiers in the entire Yom Kippur War. Compare that to the roughly 1,400 killed by Hamas in just a few hours Oct. 7, 2023. We also need to keep in mind this war has not yet ended, so any sort of comparative judgments should be held until we can make a better assessment. 

This is the role of my original claim, contrary to what some took from it as. I do not aim to be an alarmist; however, I do want to call into question the repercussions of Israeli policy moving forward if they continue against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. If not, a much more catastrophic war is possible. The likelihood of such a war depends on a multitude of factors that I could not even begin to consider in a short op-ed piece. 

More concerning is the continued U.S. funding of this war. Israel quite literally would not have a military with the strength that it does if it weren’t for the generous portion of our national defense budget that Americans give to Israel every year. 

In addition, the United States warning other countries not to get involved signals that our government is concerned about the possibility of other countries intervening (such as Iran, which largely funds the terrorist organizations Israel is fighting with). There is also a suspicion that Iran is attempting to foil diplomatic gains made in the region between certain Arab countries and Israel. This could cause a potential array of issues if substantive diplomacy is rolled back (considering that many of these countries are allies with global superpowers like Russia and China). 

A commenter on the previous article wrote that Russia has its hands full, China does not have an interest in the Middle East’s instability and Iran is using confrontation with Israel to “lead to a major [U.S.] response”.

First, the idea that Russia can’t multitask on a world scale is an unstable position to take. Does it not seem more likely that World War III could occur if there are multiple, large-scale battles going on at the same time, especially when the U.S. is by-proxy funding the opposition to Russia? Furthermore, China most definitely has interest in the Middle East, especially if it stifles U.S. progress (Do not forget we would attempt to thwart a Chinese invasion of Taiwan). If not, why is China Iran’s biggest trade partner? The instability of the Middle East offers opportunities for countries to establish a presence.The United States has certainly taken advantage of this, and according to the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, China is no different. 

Also, this idea that Israel and the United States are the ones being harassed is an absurd notion. Please read my other articles for my explanations of why the United States and Israel are not always the “good guys.” At the time of this article, the Associate Press reports over 5,700 Palestinian deaths, 17,000 Palestinian injuries, along with 1.4 million people displaced. As I have stated before, the terror by Hamas does not justify a three-fold increase in Palestinian death and injury. The “harassment” claim doesn’t take into account the vicious Israeli occupation of Palestine that has undeniably resulted in a history of Palestinian death and despair. There is a reason Gaza has been labeled as an “open-air prison.”

While there is no guarantee that this war will spiral into World War III, relations between countries are not nearly as black and white as some may make it seem. To suggest the war in Israel could lead to something far worse, as I have presented, is not an unreasonable speculation.