Israel–Hamas war facts for kids
An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place in the Gaza Strip and Israel since 7 October 2023. The fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008, it has been the deadliest for Palestinians in the entire Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the most significant military engagement in the region since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Overview
The war began when Hamas-led militant groups launched a surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, which involved a rocket barrage and a few thousand militants breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier and attacking Israeli civilian communities and military bases. During this attack, 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, including 815 civilians. In addition, 251 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive into Gaza, with the stated goal to force Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. Hamas said its attack was in response to Israel's continued occupation, blockade of Gaza, and settlements expansion, as well as alleged threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plight of Palestinians. After clearing militants from its territory, Israel launched one of the most destructive bombing campaigns in modern history and invaded Gaza on 27 October with the stated objectives of destroying Hamas and freeing hostages.
Since the start of the Israeli operation, more than 39,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, of whom 52% of identified were women and children. Israel's tightened blockade cut off basic necessities and attacks on infrastructure have caused healthcare collapse and an impending famine. By early 2024, Israeli forces had destroyed or damaged more than half of Gaza's houses, at least a third of its tree cover and farmland, most of its schools and universities, hundreds of cultural landmarks, and at least a dozen cemeteries. Nearly all of the strip's 2.3 million residents were forcibly displaced. Over 100,000 Israelis remain internally displaced.
The war continues to have significant regional and international repercussions. Large, primarily pro-Palestinian protests have taken place across the world, calling for a ceasefire. The International Court of Justice is reviewing a case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The United States has given Israel extensive military aid and vetoed multiple UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions. Meanwhile, the Axis of Resistance has engaged, with its groups attacking American military bases in the Middle East; the Yemeni Houthi movement attacking commercial ships allegedly linked to Israel, incurring a US-led military response; and the ongoing exchange of strikes between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel risking the eruption of another full-scale war.
Humanitarian crisis
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war. The crisis includes both a famine and a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies. This siege resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down the desalination plants that provide drinking water. Widespread disease outbreaks have spread across Gaza.
Heavy bombardment by Israeli airstrikes caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's infrastructure, further deepening the crisis. Direct attacks on telecommunications infrastructure by Israel, electricity blockades and fuel shortages caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers. Lack of internet access has obstructed Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying both the areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes. The blackouts have also impeded emergency services, making it more difficult to locate and access the time-critical injured, and have impeded humanitarian aid agencies and journalists as well. By December 2023, 200,000 Gazans (approximately 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM provided by Connecting Humanity.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported over 4,000 children killed in the war's first month. Indirect Palestinian deaths are expected to be much higher due to the intensity of the conflict, destruction of health care infrastructure, lack of food, water, shelter, and safe places for civilians to flee, and reduction in UNRWA funding. Organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, and a joint statement by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, and World Food Programme have warned of a dire humanitarian collapse. On 8 November, UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk described the Rafah Crossing as "gates to a living nightmare."
On 30 July 2024, Gaza Health Ministry announced a Polio epidemic in Gaza.
Scale of destruction
The scale, extent, and pace of destruction of buildings in the Gaza Strip ranks among the most severe in modern history, surpassing the bombing of Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined during World War II. The 29,000 munitions—shells and bombs—that Israel had dropped on Gaza in three months greatly exceed the amount (3,678) dropped by the United States between 2004 and 2010 after its invasion of Iraq. After seven months, Israel's war left 37 million tonnes of rubble, much of it with unexploded bombs and averaging 300 kilograms of rubble per square metre of Gaza, with an estimated removal time of 14 years. The estimated extent of the destruction ranges from 35% of all buildings (March 2024, UNITAR) to 70% (December 2023, The Wall Street Journal), with a higher level of destruction in northern Gaza. By 5 December 2023, the percentage of buildings damaged or destroyed in Gaza exceeded Dresden and Cologne during World War II and approached the level of destruction seen in Hamburg. Bombing has destroyed or damaged apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, religious sites, factories, and shopping centers. The Guardian reported that the scale of destruction has led international legal experts to raise the concept of domicide, which it describes as "the mass destruction of dwellings to make [a] territory uninhabitable".
Diplomatic impact
The war sparked a major diplomatic crisis, with many countries around the world reacting strongly to the conflict that affected the momentum of regional relations. At least nine countries took the drastic step of recalling their ambassadors and cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. The war has also resulted in a renewed focus on a two-state solution to the broader conflict. Global public opinion of Israel has dropped during the war as well; a Morning Consult poll published in January 2024 indicated that the United States was the only remaining wealthy country in which Israel had net positive approval.
Negotiations have focused on the possibility of a ceasefire in the war, with Egypt and Qatar serving as mediators in negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The United Nations Security Council passed resolution 2728 in March 2024, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of hostages for the month of Ramadan.
Following talks mediated by China, on 23 July 2024, Palestinian groups including Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement to end their divisions and form an interim unity government, which they announced in the "Beijing Declaration".
Images for kids
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Israeli and Palestinian deaths preceding the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, of which most were civilians.
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Aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal area of Gaza City, 9 October 2023
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The line in black represents the IDF's boundary at Wadi Gaza for evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip.
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Israeli Merkava tank in a Gaza street, 4 January 2024
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Israel, 9 January 2024
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US Vice President Kamala Harris with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the 60th Munich Security Conference in Germany, February 2024
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