One month after Hamas attacks, life has been upended for both Palestinians and Israelis. The conflict, which began with Hamas operatives storming across from Gaza and striking kibbutzim and southern Israeli areas, has resulted in a significant loss of life, with 1,400 people, mostly civilians, killed in Israel [ba570d80]. Israel has retaliated against the surprise attack by targeting Hamas-controlled areas in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least 1,000 deaths [cea34cd2]. The conflict has also had economic consequences, with stock markets in Tel Aviv and Cairo plummeting [15c5c874]. The impact of the war has extended beyond the region, with Gulf countries also being affected [b994bd2e]. Despite the ongoing conflict, some businesses remain optimistic about their goals, such as PUMA CEO and HUGO BOSS [1fd30e26]. In the midst of this conflict, other news includes the opening of Google's first cloud data center in Germany [80d561c1].
The war between Israel and Hamas has also had repercussions in the tourism industry. Dutch and Turkish hotels have been refusing refunds to Israelis due to the war with Hamas in Gaza [9e7d6b58]. A Facebook group called 'Travel is here' has started a blacklist of these travel destinations, aiming to highlight accommodation providers who have empathized with Israeli tourists and allowed cancellations and refunds. The group has received positive feedback from most service providers employed by Israelis, but there have been instances where lodging owners refused to cancel reservations or offer refunds. The countries most commonly complained about were Turkey and the Netherlands. In correspondence with the Crown Inn hotel chain in Eindhoven, a representative expressed their opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating, 'It is indeed very unfortunate that Israel has been terrorizing Palestine for years, as a result of which a 'war' has now broken out.' Currently, 25 locations have been added to the blacklist, with Amsterdam accounting for 18 entries [9e7d6b58].
Brand boycotts have minimal influence on the target nation's economy. Examples of past boycotts, such as McDonald's, Starbucks, and Bud Light, show that companies can face trouble if their stance is seen as inauthentic. Coordinated sanctions may be more effective, as seen in the case of Russia. However, there is little indication of corporate action against Israel happening so far [f423cb5b].
Turkish citizens are cancelling their Visa and Mastercards in a boycott against companies or nations they deem to be supporting Israel. They are instead opting for Troy, Turkey's domestic payment system. The surge in demand for Troy cards has caused banks to struggle. The boycott is in protest against the West's support for Israel's 'right to defence' after it was attacked by Hamas. The Turkish parliament has also removed Coca-Cola and Nestle products from its campus restaurants, accusing them of supporting Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Hamas is not a terrorist organization but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people. He envisions Gaza as a peaceful region that is part of an independent Palestinian state. Over 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory attacks by Israel, according to Hamas-run ministry claims [7e2b1c6d].