On Saturday, 7 October, around 6:30 a.m., Israel was woken up by explosions of rockets from the Gaza Strip. Hamas, a group of militants in Gaza launched ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Flood’ in Israel. This war has already killed thousands of people with hundreds taken as hostages. Here is all that you need to know about the conflict in the Middle East and its history.
Gaza: Where Is It Situated?
Gaza is a 41 km long and 10km wide territory between Egypt, the Mediterranean Sea, and Israel. Gaza is a densely populated zone with a population of 2.3 million people. However, Israel and Egypt control the Gaza Strip.
Israel governs its shoreline, air space, and who and what goods are allowed in and out through its border crossing. On the other side, Egypt controls its border with the Gaza Strip for who passes in and out. According to the United Nations, around 80% of residents of Gaza depend on international aid. It can be said that millions of people are on this list.
Israel: Where is it situated?
Israel is a Middle Eastern country. It is located in West Asia and bordered by Syria to the northeast, Lebanon(North section), Jordan(East section), the Red Sea (South section), Egypt( Southwest part), the Mediterranean Sea(West part), and by the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza Strip along the southwest.
Tel Alvi is the commercial and technological hub. Jerusalem is the capital and largest city of Israel. Arabic is a recognized language and the official language is Hebrew. There are many people who depend on international support for petroleum, raw food items, motor vehicles, medicines, and more.
Is Palestine a separate country from Israel?
Yes, Palestine is a separate territory from Israel. This region belongs to Gaza and the West Bank. However, Israel and East Jerusalem were known as Palestine, since Roman times.
The Bible mentions that this land was a Jewish kingdom and Palestine is seen as their native land.
If we look at Israel’s maps, it is noted that Israel got freedom from the British Empire in 1948. However, Palestinians use the name ‘Palestine’ as an umbrella term for Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Palestine Vs Jerusalem
The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be traced back to the late 19th century. In 1947, the United Nations passed Resolution 181, also known as the Partition Plan, with the aim of splitting the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states.
On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was established, which marked the beginning of the initial Arab-Israeli conflict. This conflict concluded in 1949 with Israel emerging victorious, but it resulted in the displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians and the division of the territory into three parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank along the Jordan River, and the Gaza Strip.
From the 19th century to till date, these regions have been involved in many conflicts which resulted in the destruction of lives.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is a group of Palestine militants that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas is the acronym of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya. It means “Islamic Resistance Movement” which implies “zeal” or strength in Arabic. This group has sworn Israel’s destruction and aims to replace it with an Islamic state.
Since 2007, Hamas has fought several wars with Israel. It has fired and thrown thousands of rockets at Israel along with other deadly attacks. Israel has also launched retaliatory attacks and air strikes in response to the sudden deadly attacks. Citing security reasons, Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007 with the assistance of Egypt.
Why Did Hamas attack now?
7th October 2023 will be recognized as the deadliest result of a sudden attack on Israel by Hamas. This year, there was a surge in casualties among Palestinians residing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It served as a potential catalyst for Hamas to launch a high-profile attack against Israel.
However, Hamas might also have aimed to secure a substantial propaganda triumph against Israel to enhance its appeal among the Palestinian populace. The capture of numerous Israeli hostages is believed to be a deliberate tactic aimed at compelling Israel to release a portion of the roughly 4,500 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.
Israel Vs Gaza: What Could Happen Next?
It can be said that this unpredictable conflict is not going to be solved soon. However, the U.S. has already given support to Israel by giving armed forces and weapons. On the other hand, the Indian government stated that they’ll launch ‘Op Ajay’ in Israel to bring back all Indians who are living in Israel for work, research, or study purposes.
In the discussion about a solution to this conflict, experts said by researching evidence of early conflict between Gaza and Israel, that this could happen again and again unless these two states reached the solution.
Yet, unfortunately, whenever they try to resolve the conflict, it brings another war. Now, the time is to see how this deadly conflict will end!
Edited by: Mariyam Qureshi
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