On 7 October 2023, Hamas and allied Palestinian groups launched a coordinated assault from Gaza into Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and taking 251 hostages, according to United Nations figures.
Israeli forces responded almost immediately, conducting over 2,000 airstrikes across Gaza, targeting rocket launch sites, tunnels, and command centers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the campaign a "full‑scale counter‑terrorism operation" in a televised address, vowing to dismantle Hamas's leadership.
The roots of the conflict stretch back to 1947, when the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 181, partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accepted the plan, while Arab states rejected it, sparking the 1948 Arab‑Israeli war and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
For Jews, the land of Israel is linked to biblical promises to Abraham, a narrative that has underpinned Zionist aspirations since the late 19th century. The movement sought a national homeland for Jews after centuries of persecution, positioning the territory as a central pillar of Jewish identity.
Today, Gaza hosts over 2 million displaced residents, with UN agencies reporting acute shortages of food, water, and medical supplies as the offensive intensifies. The United Nations Security Council convened on 12 October to discuss a potential ceasefire, while the United States and European Union urged restraint amid growing humanitarian concerns.