Everything You Need to Know About the Israel-Gaza Conflict

Fighting between Israel and Hamas has entered its third week and left much of Gaza City
damaged from heavy shelling by the Israel Defense Forces.
The conflict broke out on July 8, when Israel launched "Operation Protective Edge" in
response to Hamas launching rockets toward Israel.
Since the conflict began, 1,423 Gazans have died and 8,265 have been injured while 59
Israelis have died, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and IDF, respectively.
What's the Latest?
Israel has been criticized by the United Nations and other world leaders for bombing a
U.N.-sponsored school sheltering civilians in Gaza. The United States has condemned the
shelling of the school, but added that there were weapons being kept there.
This week, the IDF called up 16,000 additional reservists to join some 65,000 that were
already fighting, a sign that the mission could be expanded further. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will not stop the operation in Gaza until all
of the tunnels constructed by Hamas leading from Gaza to Israel have been destroyed.
The U.N. has said a quarter of Gazas population is displaced, with 225,178 Palestinians in
86 U.N. shelters.
What Is Gaza and Who Controls It?
The Gaza Strip is a Detroit-sized area on the border with Egypt up against the
Mediterranean Sea that is one of the most densely packed places on Earth with 1.8 million
people living in just 139 square miles. Technically part of the Palestinian Authority, it has
been governed since 2007 by the militant group Hamas.
Hamas, which rejects the existence of Israel, recently agreed to form a unity government
with the other main Palestinian political faction, Fatah. The new Palestinian Unity
Government recognizes the state of Israel. But the outbreak of current hostilities pitting
Hamas against Israel has left the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority on the sidelines.
What Sparked This Violence?
Tensions were ignited in June when three Israeli teenagers, one with American
citizenship and all seminary students, were kidnapped while hitchhiking in the West
Bank and killed. They were kidnapped on June 12 and their bodies were discovered June
30. Israel accused Hamas of kidnapping the three teens, which the militant group denied.
Within days, Israel arrested more than 300 Palestinians, many of them members of Hamas.
At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,000 private homes were raided.
On the night the boys' bodies were found, a barrage of rockets were launched from Gaza at
Israel and Israeli warplanes carried out numerous air strikes in Gaza.
On July 2, a Palestinian teenager was kidnapped and burned to death in apparent
retaliation. The death triggered riots in East Jerusalem, a largely Palestinian area. Three
Israelis have been arrested and charged with his death.
The attacks quickly escalated. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have fired rockets with a
reach that Israel had not previously seen, with air raid sirens going off as far away as
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. Many of the missiles have landed in desert areas or been
intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.
Who Are the Key Players?
Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the U.S. But
while there is no Israeli military presence inside Gaza anymore, the effective control of
Gazas sea, air and borders is under Israeli control.
The Israeli Defense Forces are the military arm of Israel and are well armed and
exceptionally large given Israels population. Most Israeli residents must go through
compulsory military service and are automatically enrolled in the IDFs reserve forces.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the prime minister of Israel. After the Israeli teens were found dead,
he said they were victims of "terrorists" and "human animals." When the Palestinian teen
was found murdered, he telephoned the boy's father and said the murder was "abhorrent."
Three Israelis have been indicted for the murder.
What Is Notable About This Outbreak of Violence?
The current fight comes after almost two years of relative calm between Israel and the
Palestinians and just months after the latest round of peace talks collapsed.
The technology being used by both sides is more advanced than in earlier periods of
violence. Hamas has publicly claimed responsibility for using a drone, and went on to say
that it actually has two types of drones: one to gather intelligence and another to fire
munitions. Hamas has been able to reach cities that are much further north in Israel than

they ever have before, instilling a new fear for Israeli residents. Israel claims some 5 million
people now live within striking distance of Hamas newest rockets.
Guide: Why are Israel and the Palestinians fighting over Gaza?
Israelis and Arabs have been fighting over Gaza on and off, for decades. It's part
of the wider Arab Israeli conflict.
After World War II and the Holocaust in which six million Jewish people were killed, more
Jewish people wanted their own country.
They were given a large part of Palestine, which they considered their traditional home but
the Arabs who already lived there and in neighbouring countries felt that was unfair and
didn't accept the new country.
In 1948, the two sides went to war. When it ended, Gaza was controlled by Egypt and
another area, the West Bank, by Jordan. They contained thousands of Palestinians who fled
what was now the new Jewish home, Israel.
Israel's recognition
But then, in 1967, after another war, Israel occupied these Palestinian areas and Israeli
troops stayed there for years. Israelis hoped they might exchange the land they won for
Arab countries recognising Israel's right to exist and an end to the fighting.
Israel finally left Gaza in 2005 but soon after a group called Hamas won elections and took
control there. Much of the world calls Hamas a terrorist organisation. It refuses to recognise
Israel as a country and wants Palestinians to be able to return to their old home - and will
use violence to achieve its aims.
Since then, Israel has held Gaza under a blockade, which means it controls its borders and
limits who can get in and out.
Life in Gaza
Life for the many of the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip is difficult.
Israel controls its coastline and all the entry and exit crossings into Israel. There is another
crossing point into Egypt. There is no working airport. Because access is so restricted, not
many goods get into or out of Gaza. Food is allowed in, but aid agencies say families are
not eating as much meat or fresh vegetables and fruit as they used to. There are often
power cuts.
Large numbers of people are unemployed because businesses can get very few of their
products out of Gaza to sell, and people don't have much money to buy things.
Palestinian refugees
During the 1948 and 1967 wars hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left, or were forced
out of, their homes and moved to neighbouring countries to become refugees.
More than 4.6 million Palestinians are refugees and their descendants, many living in camps
in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. They get help from the United
Nations.
Violence in Gaza
Though the Palestinians don't have an army, rockets are regularly fired from Gaza into
Israel. Israelis living in border towns are used to having to take shelter and adapting their
lives to deal with the rockets.
In the years since Israel withdrew its troops in 2005, Gaza has seen several Israeli
offensives. Israel says these were aimed at putting a stop to rocket fire.
In 2008, Israel sent soldiers into Gaza. An estimated 1,300 people, many of them
civilians, were killed in Gaza before a ceasefire was declared; 13 Israeli soldiers also
died.
In 2012, at least 167 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed during an Israeli
operation. After eight days a ceasefire was declared with both sides promising to
stop attacks.
Most recently in July 2014, authorities said over 2,200 people were killed - most of
them Palestinians - and many more injured, during 50 days of violence. A ceasefire
was agreed between Israel and Hamas on 26 August.
Peace Process
Other countries, particularly America, have worked hard to settle the fighting between the
Arabs and Israelis but so far nothing has worked. Many people want Gaza and the West
Bank to be turned into a new country - Palestine. Israel won't agree to this unless it feels
safe - and Hamas accepts its right to exist. The other sticking points are what will happen to
Israelis who've settled in the West Bank, who will run Jerusalem and what will happen to the
Palestinian refugees.

Gaza explained: Why Israel and Palestinians are in constant conflict over Gaza
Why is Gaza such a contested territory?
Since the foundation of Israel in 1948, Gaza has been a densely populated area dominated
by so-called refugee camps. These are conurbations mainly occupied by families originally
displaced from towns and villages in other parts of the Holy Land. Until the 1967 war Egypt
was the custodian of the Gaza Strip while the Kingdom of Jordan controlled the West Bank.
After the Six Day war when the Egyptians were beaten back from the Sinai, Gaza was
formally occupied by Israel. But since Israel withdrew from its positions in Gaza in 2005
there have been three major operations designed to stop attacks on the Jewish state from
the Palestinian territory. Cumulatively more than 3,000 people have died in these conflicts,
which lasted three weeks in 2008-09 and eight days in 2012 and now 24 days.
If Israel withdrew from Gaza, why is there still fighting?
One formal answer lies in the fact that under international law Israel continues to bear the
responsibilities of an occupying power. Israel maintains control of most of Gaza's borders
and coastal territory. Although there is a border post at Rafah with Egypt, Gaza's goods and
utilities are mainly imported from Israel under strict conditions designed to ensure that no
contraband material or goods with a military purpose slips through the net. These
restrictive measures make importing and exporting from Gaza very difficult. Hamas, the
dominant political movement in Gaza, has demanded that the Israeli "siege" on Gaza trade
is ended. But its goals go far beyond this basic demand. Its charter calls for the destruction
of Israel. It regards Israel as occupying Palestinian land and claims to resist this occupation
by waging rocket attacks from Gaza. Ending these indiscriminate acts of terror is the goal of
the current military operation by Israel's defence force.
How does this backdrop affect conditions in Gaza?
Gaza is a tiny place totalling just 146 square miles, about the same size as Greater
Glasgow. Its population of 1.8 million makes Gaza one of the top 40 most densely populated
places on the planet. Without any industry to speak of and a demographic overwhelmingly
dominated by youth, it offers few opportunities for its residents. The median age in Gaza is
18. The violence and insistence on confrontation with Israel permeates the population.
Hamas exerts a strong grip on the population, having expelled officials loyal to Fatah the
dominant Palestinian faction that controls the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority.
What are activists claiming about the current conditions in Gaza?
According to Oxfam conditions are increasingly desperate in overcrowded schools and
buildings where it estimates up to 450,000 people are sheltering. This figure is a dramatic
increase on the 200,000 that UNRWA, the UN relief organisation for Palestinian refugees,
estimates are currently living in its 85 shelters. Oxfam goes on to claim that many people
are getting as little as three litres of safe water a day, far below international emergency
standards. It says there has been massive destruction of water and sewage systems and
electricity supplies. Spills of raw sewage threaten to contaminate water sources and the
threat of disease is rising. There are already reports of 30 cases of meningitis, as well as
skin diseases among children and cases of gastroenteritis.
Has Operation Protective Edge diminished the threat posed by Hamas from Gaza?
Yes but it unclear how close the Israel Defence Force is from eliminating its enemy's
capabilities. Hamas has been isolated by the military-backed government of Egypt which
replaced Mohammad Morsi, the elected Muslim Brotherhood president. Hamas and the
Muslim Brotherhood share common roots and beliefs so the new authorities in Cairo have
shut down the tunnels into the Sinai that Hamas has used to replenish its arsenal of rockets
and missiles from Iran and elsewhere. More than 2,800 rockets have been fired at Israel
from Gaza since July. The second phase of the current operation has targeted the dozens of
tunnels that Hamas has spent an estimated $140 million to dig into Israeli territory in
recent years. The tunnel network is concrete-lined and goes as deep as 80ft. The Israeli
military has discovered 32 of what it calls "offensive tunnels" that originate in Gaza and
extend east into Israel.
Gaza-Israel conflict: Is the fighting over?
Fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip is currently on
hold after both sides agreed to a long-term ceasefire. The past seven weeks have
seen the deadliest violence in years, punctuated by a succession of failed truces.
Here is a look at what is going on.
Does the truce mean the fighting is now over?

Both sides have agreed to an Egyptian-sponsored deal, which has been painstakingly
difficult to arrive at. It is not the first ceasefire since Israel launched its offensive on 8 July indeed there have been numerous and they have been short-lived.
However, unlike earlier truces which were for intended to last for hours or days, the latest
ceasefire is open-ended. After 50 days of fighting, there is more impetus - and warweariness on both sides - to find a way bring an end to the conflict to a conclusion than at
any time before.
What has been agreed?
The ceasefire deal appears to combine elements of proposals that have been under
discussion for weeks.
There were however differences in initial statements from both sides.
According to officials from the Palestinian factions, restrictions on Gaza's crossings with
Israel would be eased and humanitarian supplies and desperately-needed materials for
reconstruction allowed in. Fishing limits will also be extended, they said.
Discussions about other issues, like Hamas' demand for an airport and a sea terminal, will
be put off for a month, they added.
A senior Israeli official told the BBC that while Israel accepted the Egyptian ceasefire
proposal, it did not include the issue of a seaport, airport or the release of Palestinian
prisoners held by Israel.
The official said the two sides would discuss their demands through Egypt within a month.
The ceasefire formula is similar to the one which ended a 2012 conflict between Israel and
Hamas - but following a period of relative quiet after that, cross-border fighting started up
again.
What is the root of the conflict?
The Gaza Strip, sandwiched between Israel and Egypt, has been a recurring flashpoint in
the Israel-Palestinian conflict for years.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and pulled its troops and settlers out in
2005. Israel considered this the end of the occupation, but it still exercises control over
most of Gaza's borders, waters and airspace. Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.
The trouble with Gaza - in 80 seconds
Israel has imposed tight restrictions on the movement of goods and people in and out of
the Gaza Strip, measures it says are vital for its own security.
However, Palestinians in Gaza feel confined and are suffering socio-economic hardship. The
dominant Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas and other militant groups say the
restrictions are intolerable.
Hamas's charter is committed to Israel's destruction but in recent years it has said it will
consider a long-term truce with Israel. It cites Israel's continued occupation of the West
Bank and East Jerusalem as reasons for its attacks on the Jewish state before and after
2005.
It says it is also acting in self-defence against Israeli air strikes, incursions and other military
assaults.
What caused the latest escalation?
Rocket fire from militants in Gaza and Israeli air strikes on the territory increased after the
abduction and killing of three Israeli teenagers in June, which Israel blamed on Hamas and
which led to a crackdown on the group in the West Bank. Hamas denied being behind the
killings but later on its political leader Khaled Meshaal said members had carried them
out. Tensions rose further after the suspected revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in
Jerusalem on 2 July, after which six Jewish suspects were arrested.
On 7 July, Hamas claimed responsibility for firing rockets for the first time in 20 months,
after a series of Israeli air strikes in which several members of its armed wing were killed.
The next day, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, which it said was aimed at
stopping rocket attacks and destroying Hamas' capabilities.
Since then, there have been thousands of air strikes and thousands of rockets have been
fired.
Analysts point to the fact that Hamas has become increasingly isolated in Gaza after losing
the support of its former staunch ally Syria and to a lesser extent Iran, and seeing the
Egyptian authorities crack down on smuggling tunnels following the overthrow of Islamist
President Mohammed Morsi. Attacking Israel, they say, may be a way for Hamas to try to
boost its popularity and obtain concessions in any eventual long-term ceasefire.
Why has it been so hard to get the sides to agree to a long-term ceasefire?

There have been multiple efforts to get both sides to agree to a ceasefire, but truces have
been short-lived.
The first truce plan was proposed by Egypt after one week - Israel accepted it but Hamas
said it was not consulted and later on rejected it as "a surrender".
There were several attempts to stop the fighting over the following weeks, including trying
to achieve pauses for humanitarian reasons. There were brief respites but none which
endured. Israel says it accepted successive truce proposals but resumed fire after renewed
rocket attacks from militants.
Hamas said it would accept a lasting ceasefire so long as it led to a lifting of the blockade of
Gaza - something Israel insisted it would not consider without the demilitarisation of Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel said it would not negotiate while under fire, and withdrew from ceasefire
talks in Egypt when rocket fire resumed.
What are the two sides' goals?
Israel's main declared aim is to stop rocket fire from Gaza once and for all and restore quiet
and safety for Israelis. Part of its Operation Protective Edge involved a ground operation to
destroy Hamas tunnels, which have been used to launch attacks into Israel. Israel says it
destroyed 32 but acknowledge some may have gone undetected.
Israel has also made it clear that it wants Gaza to be demilitarised.
Hamas' political leaders said they would only stop fighting when there is an end to the
blockade of Gaza. The group's armed wing though went further, demanding an end to
Israeli "aggression" in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza and the freeing of prisoners
released in exchange for Gilad Shalit in 2011 but were recently re-arrested.
How come civilians have borne the brunt?
Gaza is a small territory with a large population and Palestinian officials say many of the
casualties were caused by air strikes in residential areas. President Mahmoud Abbas has
accused Israel of committing "genocide" while human rights groups have warned Israel that
air strikes in densely populated areas or direct attacks on civilian homes could violate
international law.
Israel has said the homes it has bombed belonged to senior militants and served as
command centres where rocket attacks were co-ordinated. It says militants deliberately fire
rockets from civilian areas and store rockets in places like homes, school and hospitals - a
charge Hamas denies.
Israel also points out that the hundreds of unguided rockets that have been fired at its
territory directly threaten its civilians.
Long-range rockets have been launched towards population centres such as Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem, as well as further north. Human rights groups have said the firing of
indiscriminate rockets endangers civilians and constitutes a war crime.
Profile: Hamas Palestinian movement
Hamas is the largest of several Palestinian militant Islamist groups.
Its name is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, originating as it did in
1987 after the beginning of the first intifada, or Palestinian uprising, against Israel's
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
It originally had a dual purpose of carrying out an armed struggle against Israel - led by its
military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades - and delivering social welfare programmes.
But since 2005, it has also engaged in the Palestinian political process, becoming the first
Islamist group in the Arab world to gain power democratically (before forcibly taking control
of its stronghold of Gaza).
Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by Israel, the US, EU, Canada and Japan due to
its long record of attacks and its refusal to renounce violence. Under the group's charter,
Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel.
But to its supporters it is seen as a legitimate resistance movement.
In 2006, Hamas won a stunning victory in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) elections,
but tensions with the rival Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
heightened.
Deadly clashes between Fatah and Hamas erupted in Gaza in June 2007, after which Hamas
set up a rival government, leaving Fatah and the PA running parts of the West Bank not
under Israeli control.
Israel held Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip, and has
carried out three major military campaigns in Gaza - Operation Cast Lead in December

2008, Operation Pillar of Defence in November 2012 and Operation Protective Edge in July
2014.
The offensives were preceded by escalations in cross-border fighting, with scores of rocket
attacks from Gaza, and air strikes against it by Israel.
Hamas emerged from the 2008 and 2012 conflicts militarily degraded but with renewed
support among Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for having confronted Israel and
survived.
The group nevertheless continued to struggle under the joint blockade imposed on Gaza by
Israel and Egypt, and became increasingly isolated after falling out with regional powers in
the wake of the Arab Spring. The overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a key
ally, in July 2013 was a further blow.
In April 2014, Hamas agreed a reconciliation deal with Fatah that led to the formation a
national unity government.