2023 Israel–Hamas war facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Gaza Strip under Palestinian control      Current extent of the Israeli invasion of Gaza      Evacuated areas inside Israel   Maximum extent of the Gazan invasion of Israel   Area of Gaza subject to Israeli evacuation orders See here for a more detailed map.
Date 7 October 2023 – present (6 months, 2 weeks and 6 days) Location Israel and Palestine (spillover fighting in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq) Status Ongoing

On 7 October 2023, Palestinian militant groups from Gaza led by Hamas launched an offensive against Israel in what it called as Operation Al Aqsa Flood. Thousands of rockets were shot at positions in Israel. Militants entered some nearby military bases and Israeli settlements. Offensives came by land, air, and sea. Hundreds of Israelis were killed, and dozens (Israelis) were kidnapped. The militants also killed and kidnapped some foreigners. An Israeli operation was launched in response to the offensive called Iron Swords. A total of 6,000 bombs were dropped by Israel during the first six-days of the conflict, more than used by the United States over an entire year of operations in Afghanistan and double the number of bombs employed by the US-led coalition against the ISIS over one month. Fears of a humanitarian crisis were heightened after Israel cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel supplies to Gaza, which had already been blockaded by both Egypt and Israel. Israel urged 1.1 million Gazans to evacuate northern Gaza, while Hamas called on residents to stay in their homes and, according to the IDF, blocked roads leading south. The United Nations reported that around a million Palestinians, nearly half of Gaza's population, have been internally displaced.

The war has sparked widespread global protests that have focused on ceasefire. On 9 November, Israel agreed to daily four-hour "humanitarian pauses" to allow civilians to obtain food and medicine, as well as evacuate to the south. On 15 November, the UN Security Council approved a resolution calling for "urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip." Israel agreed to a temporary truce following a deal in which Hamas agreed to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

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 Gaza Strip and Israel have been in conflict since the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Hamas gaining control of the Gaza Strip after elections in 2006 and a civil war with Fatah in 2007. The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007, leading Human Rights Watch to call the strip an "open-air prison". Furthermore, Gaza is closed off from the rest of the world, and access to resources including food, water, and electricity is almost entirely controlled by Israel. The blockade has caused significant economic hardship within Gaza, and was cited by Hamas as one of the reasons for its offensive.

In 2023, there were several violent flare-ups in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Prior to the attack, including combatants and civilians on both sides, at least 247 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces, while 32 Israelis and two foreign nationals had been killed in Palestinian attacks. 2023 also witnessed the rise of Israel's far-right government, which has ramped up settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; an increase in Israeli settler attacks there, which has displaced hundreds of Palestinians; and tensions flaring around a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, said in a recorded message on the first day of the attack, that it was in response to "desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque", and Israel killing and wounding hundreds of Palestinians this year. He called on Palestinians and Arab Israelis to "expel the occupiers and demolish the walls". He also added that the operation was launched so "the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended."

The attack took place during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah on Shabbat, and a day after the 50th anniversary of the start of the Yom Kippur War, which also began with a surprise attack. In September, two to three weeks of violence occurred at the Israel–Gaza separation fence. On 29 September, Qatar, the UN, and Egypt mediated an agreement between Israel and Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip to reopen closed crossing points and de-escelate tensions.

Israel and Saudi Arabia are conducting negotiations to normalize relations, with Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman recently stating that normalization was "for the first time, real". Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had "repeatedly warned that Israel's ongoing occupation of Gaza would propel further violence."

Deaths

Around 1,400 Israelis and foreigners have been killed since 7 October.

The Gaza Strip has suffered heavy civilian casualties from bombardment since the beginning of the war. On 23 November, the Gaza strip death count was above 14,000. More than 6,800 people were reported missing.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra Israel-Gaza de 2023 para niños