The war between Israel and Hamas militants, who stormed Israeli towns on the Gaza strip on Oct. 7, is the latest in over seven decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has damaged the Middle East.
In Hamas’ initial act of violence, nearly 1,400 Israelis were killed, and over 229 were taken hostage. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes before ground troops poured into Gaza in a ground assault in an attempt to wipe out Hamas.
The conflict counters Israeli demands for security in what it has long considered as a hostile Middle East against Palestinians’ hope for a state of their own. Hamas, an Islamist group with a military wing that emerged in 1987 out of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist organization, is opposed to the two-state solution and is sworn to Israel’s destruction.
Hamas insists that Israel is an occupying power, and that it is trying to liberate the Palestinian territories. It considers Israel an illegitimate state and has called for its downfall.
On Nov. 29, 1947, the U.N. General Assembly agreed on a plan to divide Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Jewish leaders accepted the plan giving them about 56% of Palestine land; the Arab League rejected the proposal.
After the modern state of Israel, a safe haven for Jews, was proclaimed officially a year later, troops from Arab states attacked Israeli forces, claiming that they had blocked their dreams for statehood.
Today, the conflict continues, as Israel and Hamas are now at war, after the Palestinian militant group launched surprise cross-border raids.
In response, Israel has been sending air strikes that have killed over 7,300 people and injured 18,500 others. Many in the small and impoverished territory are in dire need of aid.
The Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory, is one of most densely populated places on earth, with some two million people crammed in 140-square-mile territory. The enclave lies on Egypt’s western border and has been under blockade since Hamas seized control in 2007. The fighting is primarily taking place along this border.
The number of displaced people in Gaza is increasing as airstrikes continue. Some aid trucks have been allowed to enter, but officials say more assistance is needed to meet needs. Hospitals and residents are relying on generators for power, which are running low on fuel, and water access is also affected by power cuts.
Following the attack, Israel declared war and launched “Operation Swords of Iron,” striking what it says are Hamas and Islamic targets in Gaza. It also blocked supply lines of fuel and water to the Gaza population.
Israel says Hamas will pay for its attack and has gathered more than 300,000 reservists along the Gaza border for a potential ground operation.
Complicating Israel’s response are the hostages that Hamas is holding. Only four hostages have been let go by Hamas recently, but Israeli officials have estimated that more than 200 people are still missing.
Since Israel shut its two crossings with Gaza, the only corridor through which Palestinians or aid can pass in and out of the territory is the Rafah crossing, which connects the south of the enclave to Egypt. A tiny trickle of aid has been allowed through but otherwise the crossing has remained shut.
Israel’s defense minister has said the military is preparing for an operation on Hamas from the “air, ground, and sea,” with the goal of destroying the militant group. On Oct. 27, Israel announced it was “expanding ground operations” in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas attack brought risks of the conflict spreading, considering the close ties between Hamas, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, all of whom are anti-Israel. US officials have warned of the risk of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. Hezbollah, which the US and Israel consider a terrorist organization, has engaged in an exchange of fire with Israel since the Gaza war began.
Iran, which is also believed to be backing Hamas, has denied involvement in the Oct. 7 attack, and warned Israel against targeting its allies in Lebanon.
As the war continues, more innocent lives of men, women, and children will be lost, in a battle that both claim to be for the betterment of their people, as well as sovereignty.
