Occupied territories, two-state solution, apartheid, peace process, proscribed terrorist organisations, the Nakba, proxy militias, disproportionate force. The decades-long crisis in Israel and Palestine has gripped the world but it has a tangled history that can feel overwhelming – and terminology that many find confusing.
Below are Guardian explainer articles that aim to answer the deeper questions and give historical context, as well as provide some simple definitions.
What are the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Newcomers should start here: a short history of the dispute in the Holy Land that the world has repeatedly failed to address.
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What has happened and what led to the current war?
Leaving history behind, this explainer was written the day after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israeli communities just outside the Gaza frontier. Information was still emerging but it was clear that militants were deliberately killing civilians as well as Israeli soldiers during the onslaught. The assault left 1,400 people dead, the majority of them civilians, according to officials in Israel. In one attack on a music festival, 260 people were killed.
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Who are the hostages taken by Hamas from southern Israel?
More than 240 hostages were taken to Gaza by militants. The vast majority of those remain captive, although several have been freed under secret deals and at least one Israeli soldier was rescued in an “operation”. The breakdown of civilians and military hostages is not clear.
For a full breakdown of what happened in the first week of the war, read this piece:
Seven days of terror that shook the world and changed the Middle East
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Crisis in Gaza: why food, water and power are running out
In retaliation, Israel has launched a war in Gaza, imposing a “complete siege” on the territory of 2.3 million people. In its war intended to “destroy” Hamas, Israel’s military has conducted hundreds of strikes on residential areas, killing whole families, while also working alongside Egypt to block people from leaving. Israeli strikes have killed more than 8,500 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
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What is the Rafah crossing and who can now use it?
Israel’s siege of Gaza includes closing all crossings but Egypt also shares a border with the territory. Egypt’s has multiple reason for tightly controlling its border with Gaza, not least because it has peace treaty with Israel, and it also does not want Palestinians to enter in large numbers. However, some injured Palestinians and international aid workers have been allowed to leave Gaza.
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What are Israel’s aims in launching Gaza ground invasion?
After two weeks of bombing, Israel launched its ground invasion. The urban warfare operation is likely to be lengthy and fraught with danger for its military and for Palestinian civilians. The operation’s specific goals remain uncertain.
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What is Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza?
Several militant groups operate in Gaza, chief among them Hamas, an armed Islamist group that has ruled inside the blockaded territory since 2007.
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What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad and what is its relationship with Hamas?
The second largest armed group in Gaza, which sometimes works with Hamas, is the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine. It is considered one of the most extreme and uncompromising Palestinian armed factions.
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How Iran uses proxy forces across the region to strike Israel and US
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are consider Iranian proxies – groups that receive support from and are influenced by Iran, the arch-enemy of Israel.
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What is Hezbollah and how will it influence the Israel-Hamas war?
Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and militant group, is Iran’s most prominent proxy movement. The group grew in influence during the Israeli occupation of Lebanon and is now a major political force. Many fear the hatred born out of the Gaza war will push Hezbollah and Israel to enter a new war.
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‘From the river to the sea’: where does the slogan come from and what does it mean?
The slogan is used by Palestinians and Israelis and is open to an array of interpretations, from the genocidal to the democratic.
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Have war crimes been committed in Israel and Gaza and what international laws apply?
A United Nations independent commission of inquiry has said “there is already clear evidence” that war crimes may have been committed by Hamas and the Israeli military.
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