Two astronauts aboard the International Space Station told Fox News their view of Earth without borders and living alongside people from other nations has helped them feel a sense of unity, even as the Israel-Hamas war rages.
“One of the things we experience up here is a different perspective of the world of our planet,” European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen told Fox News. “A lot of people call it the overview effect.”
Smoke plumes along the Gaza-Israel border after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2023)
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“We see the Earth as a single planet that we all share together,” he continued. “You don’t see borders between countries, and so you get an idea that perhaps borders are something artificial.”
Though astronauts may not be able to differentiate between different countries from space, territorial border disputes over the Gaza Strip between Palestinians and Israelis have been ongoing for decades. After Hamas — the ruling party in Gaza — invaded Israel and murdered over 1,400 Israelis on Oct. 7, the Jewish nation declared war on the Islamic terrorist group and launched retaliatory strikes.
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Since then, nearly 5,000 Israelis and Palestinians have died, according to respective authorities. Over 200 Israelis are being held hostage in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Despite the tragedy, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station had a more positive perspective.
“There’s much more that unifies us,” NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbel told Fox News. “In addition to seeing our Earth from the very unique vantage point that we have, we also have a very international crew up here.”
Andreas Mogensen (L) and Jasmin Moghbel (R) float while speaking with Fox News aboard the International Space Station (Matt Leach/Fox News Digital)
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Seven astronauts are aboard the station: two from the U.S., three from Russia, one from Denmark and another from Japan. The crew and their respective agencies often live and work alongside each other for months to maintain the station.
“Perhaps if we could learn to cooperate a little bit better, to learn to live peacefully side-by-side, many of our problems, many of our challenges in daily life would disappear because many of them are self-created, unfortunately,” Mogensen said.
The International Space Station usually hosts a crew of seven astronauts from nations all across the world. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)
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“There’s not often a good reason why a border exists where it is,” he continued. “Because you experience the planet as a whole, you realize we’re all humans.”
To watch the full interviews with the astronauts aboard the International Space Station, click here.
Ramiro Vargas contributed to the accompanying video.