2023 Israel–Hamas war facts for kids
The Gaza war, also known as the Israel–Hamas war or the Israel–Gaza war, has been fought between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip and Israel since 7 October 2023. It is the fifth war since 2008 in the Gaza–Israel conflict, and the most significant military engagement in the region since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The first day of the war was the deadliest for Israel, and it is the deadliest war for Palestinians in the history of the conflict, sparking an ongoing Middle Eastern crisis.
On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel, taking 251 hostages. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 815 civilians. After applying "mass" Hannibal Directive against its own citizens and clearing militants from its territory, Israel launched a bombing campaign and invaded Gaza on 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. Israeli forces launched numerous campaigns during the invasion, including the Rafah offensive from May 2024, three battles fought around Khan Yunis, and the Siege of North Gaza from October 2024. A temporary ceasefire in November 2023 broke down, but both sides agreed to a new deal on 15 January 2025, which took effect four days later.
Since the start of the Israeli offensive, over 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been reported as killed, over half of them women and children. Israel's tightened blockade cut off basic necessities, causing a severe hunger crisis with a high risk of famine persisting as of November 2024[update]. By early 2025, Israel had caused unprecedented destruction in Gaza and made large parts of it uninhabitable, leveling entire cities and destroying the healthcare system, agricultural land, religious and cultural landmarks, educational facilities, and cemeteries. Nearly all of the strip's 2.3 million Palestinian population have been forcibly displaced.
The war continues to have significant regional and international repercussions.
Israel received extensive military and diplomatic support from the United States, which has vetoed multiple pro-ceasefire resolutions from the UN Security Council. The war has reverberated regionally, with Axis of Resistance groups across several Arab countries and Iran clashing with Israel and the United States. By late 2024, a year of strikes between Israel and Hezbollah led to a brief Israeli invasion of Lebanon, as well as the fall of the Assad regime and an ongoing Israeli invasion of Syria.
Names
Some militant groups called the offensives, Operation al-Aqsa Flood (amaliyyat ṭūfān al-ʾAqṣā). Israel authorities called its (own) counteroffensive (or counter-attack) Operation Iron Swords (Mivtsá charavót barzél). Some news agencies and commentators have called the ongoing conflict the Third Intifada(related pages, First and Second Intifadas). Others have called it the Sukkot War, after the festivity celebrated the day the conflict started. Many analysts and officials have called the first conflict, "Israel's 9/11 moment".
Background
The 1948 Palestine war saw the establishment of Israel over most of what had been Mandatory Palestine, with the exception of two separated territories that became known as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which were held by Jordan and Egypt respectively. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The upcoming period witnessed two popular uprisings by Palestinians against the Israeli occupation; the First and Second Intifadas in 1987 and 2000 respectively, with the latter's end seeing Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
Since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been governed by Hamas, an Islamist militant group, while the West Bank remained under the control of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority. After Hamas' takeover, Israel imposed a blockade of the Gaza Strip, that significantly damaged its economy. The blockade was justified by Israel citing security concerns, but international rights groups have characterized the blockade as a form of collective punishment. Due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, UNRWA reported that 81% of people were living below the poverty level in 2023, with 63% being food insecure and dependent on international assistance.
Since 2007, Israel and Hamas, along with other Palestinian militant groups based in Gaza, have engaged in conflict, including in four wars: in 2008–2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021. These conflicts killed approximately 6,400 Palestinians and 300 Israelis. In 2018–2019, there were large weekly organized protests near the Gaza-Israel border, which were violently suppressed by Israel, whose forces killed hundreds and injured thousands of Palestinians by sniper fire. Soon after the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis began, Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, started planning the 7 October 2023 operation against Israel. According to diplomats, Hamas had repeatedly said in the months leading up to October 2023 that it did not want another military escalation in Gaza as it would worsen the humanitarian crisis that occurred after the 2021 conflict.
Hamas officials stated that the attack was a response to the Israeli occupation, blockade of the Gaza Strip, Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, restrictions on the movement of Palestinians, and imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, whom Hamas sought to release by taking Israeli hostages. Numerous commentators have identified the broader context of Israeli occupation as a cause of the war. The Associated Press wrote that Palestinians are "in despair over a never-ending occupation in the West Bank and suffocating blockade of Gaza". Several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, B'Tselem and Human Rights Watch have likened the Israeli occupation to apartheid, although supporters of Israel dispute this characterization. However, an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice published in July 2024 affirmed the occupation as being illegal and said it violated Article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid.
The Netanyahu government has been criticized within Israel for granting work permits to Gazan residents, facilitating the transfer of funds to Hamas and pursuing relative calm. These actions have been criticized as having backfired in light of the attacks on 7 October 2023. Numerous commentators have identified the broader context of Israeli occupation as a cause of the war. US President Joe Biden has said the aim of the 7 October attacks was to disrupt the Saudi–Israel normalization talks.
See also
In Spanish: Guerra Israel-Gaza de 2023 para niños
