Israel-Hamas War day 293: What is happening in Israel and Gaza? (2024)

FAQs

Why is Hamas attacking Gaza? ›

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.

The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when 200,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, settling in the Gaza Strip as refugees. Since then, Israel has fought 15 wars against the Gaza Strip.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 39% of Israelis say Israel's military response against Hamas in Gaza has been about right, while 34% say it has not gone far enough and 19% think it has gone too far.

At least 307 Israeli troops have been killed and thousands wounded since October 27 when the ground invasion of Gaza was launched. At least 37,296 Palestinians – mostly women, children, and elderly – have died since the war began on October 7, Gaza's health ministry says.

The group is committed to armed resistance against Israel and the creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in Israel's place.

“My analysis for a long time is that Israel's main goal is the West Bank-isation of Gaza [and to manage] the security and military situation and not as much on civil matters,” Eyal Lurie-Pardes of the Middle East Institute told Al Jazeera.

HAMAS continues to refuse to recognize or renounce violent resistance against Israel and in early 2008 conducted a suicide bombing, killing one civilian, as well as numerous rocket and mortar attacks that have injured civilians. The US Government has designated HAMAS a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

The motivation behind the disengagement was described by Sharon's top aide as a means of isolating Gaza and avoiding international pressure on Israel to reach a political settlement with the Palestinians. The disengagement plan was implemented in August 2005 and completed in September 2005.

Gazan residents are only admitted to Israel in exceptional humanitarian cases. Since 2008, they are not allowed to live or stay in Israel because of marriage with an Israeli.

400,000 in the West Bank, excluding 200,000 in East Jerusalem, considered by the UN as part of the West Bank. In Gaza there are no Jews, all of the Jews there were evicted in 2005 in attempt to revive the peace talks. There were 8,000 Jews at that time in the Gaza Strip, living in more than 20 villages.

How big is Gaza vs Israel? ›

It is about 2,260 square miles, while Gaza is about 141 square miles. The West Bank's total population is 3.25 million, about 1 million people more than in Gaza. The population density is 1,438 people per square mile in the West Bank and 15,603 per square mile in Gaza.

National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18, although Arab (but not Druze) citizens are exempted if they so please, and other exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds (see Profile 21).

In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, enlarging the administered Palestinian territories in that region. In 2007, following the War of Brothers in the Gaza Strip between Fatah and Hamas, the latter took over the area and expelled all Palestinian Authority officials, affiliated with Fatah.

HAMAS claims its goal is to liberate Palestinians and views Israel as an occupying power as well as an illegitimate state. In 2017, the group created a new policy document to supplement its original 1988 charter.

A recent poll found more than half of Gazans support Hamas' decision to attack October 7. Most of those surveyed didn't think Hamas committed atrocities that day, and more than half think Hamas will survive the war despite Israel's goal to crush it. Hamas is still managing to attack Israeli soldiers.

The group's charter calls for establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and Israel.