09 October 2023 , 11:22
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As the murder of hundreds of Israelis captures headlines across the globe, it should be noted that these are not isolated incidents in a decades-long war that has raged between Israel and Palestine.
As of today, a number of Israeli news outlets say that at least 700 people have been killed after the Palestinian militant group Hamas invaded Israel and attacked areas close to the Gazan border in an unprecedented incident. Forty-four of the fatalities were Israeli Defence Force soldiers.
In retaliation, fire rained down from above in the Holy Land as Israel responded with a series of crushing airstrikes, razing 159 housing units to the ground, damaging another 1,210, and leaving thousands now displaced. Gaza's Health Ministry confirmed that 413 people, including 78 kids and 41 women, have been killed. It's estimated that around 2,000 people have been wounded on each side.
We have rounded up an explainer on the key elements of a fierce conflict that has been boiling since 1947.
What is Hamas and what do they want?
The Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, which is branded a terrorist organisation by Israel and several Western nations, controls the Gaza Strip. In Gaza and other parts of the Middle East, they are hailed as freedom fighters.
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While other Palestinian organisations have at times entered negotiations with Israel, Hamas refuses to recognise its right to exist and vowed to destroy the state at all costs. Since taking power in 2007, the Iran-backed militia has fought several wars with Israel.
Fire and smoke rise after an Israeli air strike targeted the National Bank in Gaza City (AFP via Getty Images)Even when not in active conflict, both sides pummel the other with rockets, with Israel often using airstrikes to take out Hamas targets. On countless occasions, civilians have also been killed. A blockade, in which the movement of goods and people are restricted, has been in place since 2007. Israel claims that the blockade, which drives Gazans into abject poverty, is designed to protect its security.
A Hamas spokesperson for the organisation told Al Jazeera that the weekend's events were a response to the atrocities Palestinians have suffered for years. “We want the international community to stop atrocities in Gaza, against Palestinian people, our holy sites like Al-Aqsa. All these things are the reason behind starting this battle,” he said.
What is Gaza?
The locked down area, which is home to 2.3million Palestinians, is a 25-mile long, 6-mile wide strip of land on Israel's southwestern coast. Its airspace, shoreline, and border are all controlled by Israel, which dictates what goods can be transported through the crossings. Egypt to the west also controls who can move through its border.
A home destroyed by a Hamas rocket attack (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Analysing conditions in the Gaza Strip, a UN report found: "Largely due to the blockade, poverty, high unemployment rates and other factors, nearly 80 per cent of Gazans now rely on humanitarian assistance. More than half of Gaza’s just over 2 million people live in poverty, and nearly 80 per cent of the youth are unemployed", according to UNICEF.
Why are they fighting?
The Palestinian territories, made up of the West Bank and Gaza, and Israel, formed an area that was known for millenia as Palestine. Palestine was also the name of the lands ruled over by the Jewish Kings in the Bible. Jews consider it their ancestral home and Holy Land.
IDF soldiers take cover near Sderot in southern Israel (ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)After the partition of Palestine in 1948, the land that had once been inhabited by Jews and Muslims became the State of Israel. The Palestinians have waged repeated wars because they want Israel removed from the land they say belongs to them.
The two sides are fighting this time after the militants launched an unprecedented surprise attack, firing thousands of rockets at Israel on Saturday. Dozens of fighters "invaded", slaughtering and taking Israelis hostage in areas close to the border.
Has anything like this happened before?
While Hamas has waged countless attacks on Israel, the sophistication of this weekend's events made it the most ambitious operation they've ever conducted. It's also considered the most serious cross-border attack in decades, according to the BBC.
The attack happened 50 years after Egypt and Syria carried out a surprise attack against Israel in 1973, sparking the Yom Kippur War.
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