Israeli forces bombed a tent camp inside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound in central Gaza, killing two Palestinians in what seemed to be a targeted strike. Palestinians were seen carrying wounded individuals after the attack, with an aircraft later airdropping humanitarian aid over northern Gaza. In response, protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and calls for the release of hostages held by Hamas occurred in Tel Aviv, Israel.
It has been 100 days since Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in over 1,200 deaths and 240 hostages. Israel responded with a military onslaught, resulting in about 24,000 confirmed deaths so far. The ongoing violence has displaced the majority of Gaza's population, causing widespread hunger and devastation. Protests have erupted worldwide, calling for an end to the war. In Israel, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv to demand the release of the hostages. The conflict threatens to escalate and is polarizing global politics and populations.
An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. After clearing Hamas militants from its territory, the Israeli military embarked on an extensive aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip followed by a large-scale ground invasion beginning on 27 October. Clashes have also occurred in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and with Hezbollah along the Israel–Lebanon border. The hostilities constitute the fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008 and are part of the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict. They are considered to be the most significant military escalation in the region since the Yom Kippur War 50 years earlier.The Hamas offensive involved 3,000 militants breaching the Gaza–Israel barrier and attacking Israeli communities and military bases. During this attack, 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed, while 253 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive to the Gaza Strip. The attack was proclaimed as a response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, the prospect of Arab–Israeli normalization, and the plight of Palestinian refugees and prisoners. In response, Israel declared a state of war, tightened its existing blockade of Gaza and launched one of the most severe bombing campaigns in history, before commencing the ground invasion on 27 October. Israeli forces laid siege to Gaza City on 2 November and moved south to attack Khan Yunis a month later on 3 December; both sieges remain ongoing. Israel's next objective is the capture of Rafah. An estimated 6,000-12,000 militants have been killed during the conflict, and Israel has lost over 200 soldiers during its invasion. A United Nations resolution calling for a humanitarian pause passed on 15 November; the seven-day truce took effect at the end of that month.A humanitarian crisis has developed in the Gaza Strip, with healthcare in a state of collapse, shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel due to the blockade, electricity and communications blackouts, and potential famine conditions. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the conflict, including over 12,300 children and 8,400 women. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been internally displaced. The widespread civilian deaths have led to accusations of war crimes against both Israel and Hamas. In February 2024 576,000 people were "facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation", stated The United Nations. More than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops that opened fire when huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy.The war has had significant international repercussions. Popular protests that primarily call for a ceasefire have occurred across the world. Israel's actions have been denounced by the Islamic world and much of the Global South; South Africa launched an International Court of Justice case alleging that Israel committed genocide. Israel has however received significant support from its traditional Western allies, especially the United States, which vetoed multiple UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. In response, Iran-backed militias have attacked American military bases in the Middle East, while the Yemeni Houthi movement attacked commercial ships they alleged were linked to Israel, incurring a military response from a number of countries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces Israel's return to cease-fire negotiations with Hamas after previous failed attempts. The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have been involved in mediation efforts, but no agreement has been reached. Netanyahu rejects Hamas' demands for a hostage release and vows to continue military operations until the militant group is destroyed. The conflict in Gaza escalates with Israeli airstrikes and casualties, leading to concerns about humanitarian crises and international calls for aid access. Tensions in the West Bank rise, and discussions about potential military operations in Gaza intensify between Israel and the United States.
Two relatives of Israeli hostages were arrested during a protest outside the defense ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. The protesters gathered following unsuccessful hostage negotiations with Hamas. Israel believes 99 people are still held in Gaza and has retaliated against Hamas, resulting in over 32,000 deaths in Gaza. Demonstrations demanding the release of hostages have been ongoing, with protesters using cages to block roads. Mediators attempted a truce deal for a six-week halt in Israel's offensive in Gaza in exchange for the release of 40 hostages, but talks reached a deadlock.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo surgery for a hernia after it was discovered during a routine checkup. Justice Minister Yariv Levin will temporarily fill his role during the procedure. The surgery comes amidst thousands of Israelis rallying for Netanyahu to resign. Additionally, two Palestinians were killed and 15 injured in an Israeli airstrike on a tent camp in central Gaza. The strike targeted a Hamas command center, and Israel argues that hospitals in Gaza are used by militants. The Archbishop of Canterbury called for action to help those affected by the conflict, including the children of Gaza.
Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinians and wounded a third on Gaza's beach after a video surfaced showing the men being fired at despite allegedly waving white flags. The military claimed the men ignored warning shots, and the footage, broadcast by Al Jazeera, highlighted several incidents of Palestinians being killed seemingly posing little threat. The shootings were said to have occurred in central Gaza across different locations, and the army used a bulldozer out of fear of explosives. Palestinian and human rights groups criticize Israeli military for civilian casualties and claim investigations into such incidents rarely lead to indictments.
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. The number of Gazans killed in the most recent 2023 war — 27,000 — is higher than the death toll of all other wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.Israel fought four wars against the Egyptian-administered Gaza Strip: 1948 Palestine War, border attacks of 1949–1956, first occupation of Gaza during the Suez Crisis and the capture of Gaza in 1967. During the first occupation, 1% of Gaza Strip's population was either killed, tortured or imprisoned by Israel. Following two periods of low-level insurgencies, a major conflict between Israelis and Palestinians erupted in the First Intifada (523 Gazans killed). The 1993 Oslo Accords brought a period of calm. But, in 2000 the Second Intifada erupted. Towards the end of the Second Intifada, Israel disengaged from Gaza in 2005, Hamas won the 2006 election and seized control of Gaza in 2007.In 2007, Israel imposed a land, air and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, turning it into an "open-air prison". The blockade was widely condemned as a form of collective punishment, while Israel defended it as necessary to stop Palestinian rocket attacks. Hamas considered it a declaration of war. A 2008–2009 Israeli invasion of Gaza resulted in more than 1,000 deaths and widespread destruction of homes, schools and hospitals. A 2012 Israeli operation also killed more than 100 people.In 2014, Israel invaded Gaza in a major war that resulted in the deaths of 73 Israelis (mostly soldiers) and 2,251 Palestinians (mostly civilians). The invasion resulted in "unprecedented" destruction, damaging 25% of homes in Gaza city and 70% of homes in Beit Hanoun. After 2014, notable events in the conflict included the "Great March of Return" (2018-2019) and clashes in November 2018, May 2019 and November 2019. The 2021 crisis saw 256 Palestinians and 15 Israelis killed.On October 7, 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people (mostly civilians). Israel responded with bombing Gaza Strip and launching an invasion that has killed more than 29,000 Gazans as of February 2024.
The Gaza War, also known as Operation Cast Lead (Hebrew: מִבְצָע עוֹפֶרֶת יְצוּקָה), also known as the Gaza Massacre (Arabic: مجزرة غزة), and referred to as the Battle of al-Furqan (معركة الفرقان) by Hamas, was a three-week armed conflict between Gaza Strip Palestinian paramilitary groups and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that began on 27 December 2008 and ended on 18 January 2009 with a unilateral ceasefire. The conflict resulted in 1,166–1,417 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths. Over 46,000 homes were destroyed in Gaza, making more than 100,000 people homeless.A six month long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended on 4 November, when the IDF made a raid into Deir al-Balah, central Gaza to destroy a tunnel, killing several Hamas militants. Israel said the raid was a preemptive strike and Hamas intended to abduct further Israeli soldiers, while Hamas characterized it as a ceasefire violation, and responded with rocket fire into Israel. Attempts to renew a truce between Israel and Hamas were unsuccessful. On December 27, Israel began Operation Cast Lead with the stated aim of stopping rocket fire. In the initial air assault, Israel attacked police stations, military targets including weapons caches and suspected rocket firing teams, as well as political and administrative institutions, striking in the densely populated cities of Gaza, Khan Yunis and Rafah. After hostilities broke out, Palestinian groups fired rockets in retaliation for the aerial bombardments and attacks. The international community considers indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian structures that do not discriminate between civilians and military targets as illegal under international law.An Israeli ground invasion began on 3 January. On 5 January, the IDF began operating in the densely populated urban centers of Gaza. During the last week of the offensive (from 12 January), Israel mostly hit targets it had damaged before and struck Palestinian rocket-launching units. Hamas intensified its rocket and mortar attacks against mostly civilian targets in southern Israel, reaching the major cities of Beersheba and Ashdod for the first time during the conflict. Israeli politicians ultimately decided against striking deeper within Gaza amid concerns of higher casualties on both sides and rising international criticism. The conflict ended on 18 January, when the IDF first declared a unilateral ceasefire, followed by Hamas' announcing a one-week ceasefire twelve hours later. The IDF completed its withdrawal on 21 January.In September 2009, a UN special mission, headed by the South African Justice Richard Goldstone, produced a report accusing both Palestinian militants and the Israeli army of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, and recommended bringing those responsible to justice. In 2011, Goldstone wrote that he does not believe that Israel intentionally targeted civilians in Gaza as a matter of explicit policy. The other authors of the report, Hina Jilani, Christine Chinkin, and Desmond Travers, stated that no new evidence had been gathered that disputed the report's findings. The United Nations Human Rights Council ordered Israel to conduct various repairs of the damages. On 21 September 2012, the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded that 75% of civilian homes destroyed in the attack were not rebuilt.
On the evening of 27 October 2023, Israel launched a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip, with the stated goals of eliminating and destroying Hamas, a military and political movement which led an attack against Israel earlier in October, and to free hostages taken by Hamas. Following the attack, Israel declared a state of war, tightened its blockade, ordered the evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip, and launched "Operation Swords of Iron".More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli operation, including over 12,500 children and 7,000 women, with another 7,000 people missing and presumed dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings. By mid-December Israel had dropped 29,000 munitions on Gaza, destroying or damaging 70 percent of homes in the Strip. Experts say that the scale and pace of destruction in Gaza is among the most severe in recent history. During the invasion, Israel destroyed at least a third of Gaza's homes and hundreds of cultural landmarks, and desecrated dozens of cemeteries in the strip.A severe humanitarian crisis has developed, with healthcare in a state of collapse, shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel due to the blockade, electricity and communications blackouts, and the UN warning of potential famine. It was widely reported that there is "no safe place in Gaza" as Israel struck areas it had previously told Palestinians to evacuate to. The widespread civilian deaths have led to accusations of war crimes against both Israel and Hamas. Nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been internally displaced and around 250,000–500,000 Israelis were internally displaced, while thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israel, and Israel has stated it lost 225 additional soldiers in its invasion as of 4 February 2024.As a result of the invasion, South Africa instituted proceedings against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging that Israel was guilty of committing a genocide, and requesting that the ICJ render provisional measures of protection.
Exclusive video and witness testimony obtained by Al Jazeera have revealed how Israeli forces killed two unarmed Palestinians in Gaza..
On 7 October 2023, the paramilitary wings of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, PRC, PFLP and DFLP launched a series of coordinated armed incursions into the Gaza envelope of neighboring Israel, the first invasion of Israeli home territory since the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. The attacks, on a Saturday, initiated the Israel–Hamas war, almost exactly 50 years after Operation Badr and the greater Yom Kippur War of 6 October 1973. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups named the attacks Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (or Deluge; Arabic: عملية طوفان الأقصى, romanized: ʿamaliyyat ṭūfān al-ʾAqṣā, usually romanised as "Tufan Al-Aqsa" or "Toofan Al-Aqsa"), while in Israel they are referred to as Black Saturday (Hebrew: השבת השחורה) or the Simchat Torah Massacre (הטבח בשמחת תורה), and internationally as the 7 October attack.The attacks began in the early morning with a rocket barrage of at least 3,000 rockets launched against Israel and vehicle-transported and powered paraglider incursions into Israel. Hamas fighters breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, attacking military bases and massacring civilians in neighboring Israeli communities, including in Be'eri, Kfar Aza, and Nir Oz, and at the Nova music festival. The attacks resulted in 1,139 deaths—695 Israeli civilians (including 36 children), 71 foreign nationals, and 373 members of the security forces. Approximately 250 Israeli civilians and soldiers were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip, including 30 children, with the stated goal to force Israel to release Palestinian prisoners. Numerous accounts of rape and sexual assault by Hamas fighters have been reported, which Hamas has denied.Hamas said its attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, rising Israeli settler violence, and recent escalations.At least 44 countries denounced the attack as terrorism, while some Arab and Muslim countries blamed Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories as the root cause of the attack. The day was labeled the bloodiest in Israel's history and the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust.
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 implemented a complete 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. By mid-November, Israel had dropped the equivalent of two nuclear bombs on Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry reported over 4,000 children killed in the war's first month. UN Secretary General António Guterres stated Gaza had "become a graveyard for children."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 November 8, UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk described the Rafah Crossing as "gates to a living nightmare."
The International Court of Justice has unanimously ordered Israel to ensure basic food supplies reach Palestinians in Gaza without delay, as famine is setting in with at least 31 deaths, including 27 children. Israel must open more land crossings for aid, following South Africa's accusations of genocide in Gaza. The ICJ's rulings command Israel to cooperate with the UN for unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance. Israel's previous actions in Gaza, including a war against Hamas fighters, have led to significant casualties and displacement, with over 32,500 deaths and 80% of Gaza's population displaced.
The Israel–Hamas war began on 7 October 2023 when Hamas launched an unprecedented multi-faceted and sustained assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip.As of 29 February 2024, over 30,000 people (29,782 Palestinian and 1,410 Israeli) have been killed in the Israel–Hamas war, including 88 journalists (83 Palestinian, 2 Israeli and 3 Lebanese) and over 136 UNRWA aid workers.On 7 October 2023, 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 764 civilians, were killed, and 248 persons taken hostage during the initial attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Since then, over 29,782 Palestinians (the majority of whom were women and minors) in the Gaza Strip have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties in its reports. The IDF estimated 12,000 Hamas combatants were killed as of 19 February 2024. A further 382 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israel military and settlers. Casualties have also occurred in other parts of Israel, as well as in southern Lebanon, and Syria. Some developments may become known or understood only in retrospect, so this is not an exhaustive list. Events on the ground for which the precise time is known are in Israel Summer Time (UTC+3) until October 29 when Israel Standard Time (UTC+2) resumed.
Ramadan has started with tension and resentment for Palestinian Muslims due to the war in Gaza, with scuffles and restrictions on worshippers at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promise of freedom of worship was opposed by far-right extremist national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Palestinian men were turned away from prayers, leading to a somber mood in the region. Business owners in Jerusalem's Old City report closures and lack of tourists, with shopkeeper Muhammed Salhab expressing despair over the unprecedented situation.
The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge (Hebrew: מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, romanized: Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, lit. 'Operation Strong Cliff'), and Battle of the Withered Grain (Arabic: معركة العصف المائكول, romanized: Mʿa-rakkat Al-ʿasf Al-Ma’kool) was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that has been governed by Hamas since 2007. Following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank by Hamas-affiliated Palestinian militants, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated Operation Brother's Keeper, in which some 350 Palestinians, including nearly all of the active Hamas militants in the West Bank, were arrested. Hamas subsequently fired a greater number of rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip, triggering a seven-week-long conflict between the two sides. It was one of the deadliest outbreaks of open conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in decades. The combination of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes resulted in over two thousand deaths, the vast majority of which were Gazan Palestinians. This includes a total of six Israeli civilians who were killed as a result of the conflict.The Israeli military operation aimed to stop rocket fire into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Conversely, Hamas' attacks aimed to bring international pressure onto Israel with the strategic goal of forcing the latter to lift the Israeli–Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip; among its other goals were to end Israel's military offensive, obtain a third party to monitor and guarantee compliance with a ceasefire, release Palestinian political prisoners and overcome its isolation. According to the BBC, Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the rocket attacks by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Palestinian militant groups.On 7 July, after seven Hamas militants died in a tunnel explosion in Khan Yunis that was caused either by an Israeli airstrike (per Hamas, Nathan Thrall, BBC, and a senior IDF official) or an accidental explosion of their own munitions (per the IDF), Hamas assumed responsibility for rockets fired into Israel, and subsequently launched 40 more rockets towards Israel. The Israeli aerial operation officially began the following day, and on 17 July, it was expanded to include a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of destroying Gaza's tunnel system; the Israeli ground invasion ended on 5 August. On 26 August, an open-ended ceasefire was announced. By this time, the IDF reported that Hamas, PIJ, and other Palestinian militant groups had fired 4,564 rockets and mortars into Israel, with over 735 projectiles having been intercepted mid-flight and shot down by Israel's Iron Dome. Most Gazan mortar and rocket fire was inaccurate, and consequently hit open land; more than 280 projectiles had landed within the Gaza Strip, and 224 had struck residential areas. Palestinian rocketry also killed 13 Palestinian civilians in Gaza, 11 of them children. The IDF attacked 5,263 targets in the Gaza Strip; at least 34 known tunnels were destroyed and two-thirds of Hamas's 10,000-rocket arsenal was either used up or destroyed.Between 2,125 and 2,310 Gazans were killed during the conflict while between 10,626 and 10,895 were wounded (including 3,374 children, of whom over 1,000 were left permanently disabled). Gazan civilian casualty estimates range between 70 percent by the Gaza Health Ministry, 65 percent by the United Nations' (UN) Protection Cluster by OCHA (based in part on Gaza Health Ministry reports), and 36 percent by Israeli officials. The UN estimated that more than 7,000 homes for 10,000 families were razed, together with an additional 89,000 homes damaged, of which roughly 10,000 were severely affected by the bombing. Rebuilding costs were calculated to run from US$4–6 billion over the course of 20 years. 67 Israeli soldiers, 5 Israeli civilians (including one child) and one Thai civilian were killed while 469 Israeli soldiers and 261 Israeli civilians were injured. On the Israeli side, the economic impact of the operation is estimated to have had an impact of NIS 8.5 billion (approximately US$2.5 billion) and a GDP loss of 0.4 percent.
An international team of doctors, including pediatrician Tanya Haj-Hassan, worked at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza for two weeks amidst shortages of supplies and were stunned by the gruesome impact of Israel's conflict with Hamas on Palestinian children.
The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to enhance the humanitarian conditions in Gaza by opening more land crossings for supplies following a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide, which Israel denies. The court instructed Israel to ensure the uninterrupted provision of basic services and humanitarian aid, report back on implementation in a month, and prevent actions that could harm Palestinians under the Genocide Convention. The conflict arose from a Hamas attack on Oct 7, leading to Israeli airstrikes and ground operations causing casualties in Gaza.
As of 29 February 2024, over 30,000 people (29,782 Palestinian and 1,410 Israeli) have been killed in the Israel–Hamas war, including 88 journalists (83 Palestinian, 2 Israeli and 3 Lebanese) and over 136 UNRWA aid workers.On 7 October 2023, 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 764 civilians, were killed, and 248 persons taken hostage during the initial attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Since then, over 29,782 Palestinians (the majority of whom were women and minors) in the Gaza Strip have been killed according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatant and civilian casualties in its reports. The IDF estimated 12,000 Hamas combatants were killed as of 19 February 2024. A further 382 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank by Israel military and settlers. Casualties have also occurred in other parts of Israel, as well as in southern Lebanon, and Syria.
Four UN peacekeepers were injured in a blast near the Lebanon-Israel border, leading to condemnations and ongoing investigations. Aid was sent to Gaza to address widespread hunger, while clashes and protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanded action in securing the release of Israeli hostages. The conflict in the region has resulted in numerous casualties, with clashes between Israeli forces and militants escalating. The UN Secretary-General expressed concerns over the clashes, urging all parties to cease hostilities and pursue diplomatic solutions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks to take place in Doha and Cairo amidst stalled negotiations following a UN Security Council resolution for an immediate ceasefire. The war between Hamas and Israel, initiated by Hamas' attack on Israel resulting in casualties on both sides, continues with little progress in negotiations. Meanwhile, tensions rise as the U.S. expresses concerns over Israel's plans to invade Rafah and the situation escalates at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing and in the diplomatic efforts to prevent full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.
The International Court of Justice has unanimously ordered Israel to ensure uninterrupted access of food aid into Gaza amid worsening conditions leading to famine, contradicting Israel's claim of not obstructing aid deliveries. The court also directed Israel to take immediate measures to provide necessary humanitarian assistance and ensure its military does not violate the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. Additionally, the court called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas as per a UN security council resolution.
The Fatah–Hamas conflict (Arabic: النزاع بين فتح وحماس, romanized: an-Nizāʿ bayna Fataḥ wa-Ḥamās) is an ongoing political and strategic conflict between Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian political parties in the Palestinian territories, leading to the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The reconciliation process and unification of Hamas and Fatah administrations remains unfinalized and the situation is deemed a frozen conflict.The Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights has found that over 600 Palestinians were killed in the fighting from January 2006 to May 2007. Dozens more were killed or executed in the following years as part of the conflict.
Palestinian terrorists carried out a car-ramming and stabbing attack in Raanana, north of Tel Aviv, in Israel, killing an elderly woman and injuring 17 people. The attackers, who entered Israel illegally from the West Bank city of Hebron, used multiple cars to ram into civilians. They also stabbed a woman and stole her car, continuing to target random people on the street. The police have described the attack as a terrorist attack, and two suspects have been arrested.
Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli protesters clashed in London with insults and chants, including controversial slogans like 'From the River to the Sea'. The atmosphere was tense with mutual animosity, but only a minor scuffle occurred. Pro-Israeli counter-protesters felt outnumbered and expressed fear due to perceived threats. The two sides, ideologically distant, were physically close for the first time during the ongoing protests in London. The tensions reflect the deep divide between the two groups.
Thousands of people gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to demand the release of the 132 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas captured 250 people during an attack in October, killing over 1,200 others. More than 100 hostages were released during a temporary truce, but the remaining hostages, including the remains of those who died, are in dire conditions. The families are appealing to the government to prioritize bringing the abductees back and have criticized the government for lack of progress in negotiating their release.
Families of hostages taken by Hamas in the Gaza Strip held a 24-hour rally in Tel Aviv, urging the government to bring their loved ones home after spending 100 days in captivity. Over 100 hostages still remain held in Gaza, and their families are appealing to the government to prioritize their release. The government announced a deal with Qatar to deliver medicines to the hostages, but it is unclear if the deal has been implemented. In addition to the hostage rally, anti-government demonstrators calling for new elections clashed with police nearby.
During the Israel–Hamas war, the healthcare system of Gaza collapsed. The healthcare collapse was part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip caused by the war.The hospitals faced a lack of fuel and relied on backup generators for the first two weeks of the war. By 23 October, Gaza hospitals began shutting down as they ran out of fuel, starting with the Indonesia Hospital. When hospitals lost power completely, multiple premature babies in NICUs died.Numerous medical staffers were killed, and ambulances, health institutions, medical headquarters, and multiple hospitals were destroyed. The Medecins Sans Frontieres said scores of ambulances and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed. By late-October, the Gaza Health Ministry stated the healthcare system had "totally collapsed", while on January 13 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals reportedly remained partially functional.
The Gaza Strip ( ; Arabic: قِطَاعُ غَزَّةَ Qiṭāʿ Ġazzah [qɪˈtˤɑːʕ ˈɣaz.za]), or simply Gaza, is a polity and the smaller of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the West Bank). On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north.The territory came into being when it was controlled by Egypt during the 1948 Arab–Israeli war, and became a refuge for Palestinians who fled or were expelled during the 1948 Palestine war. Later, during the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured and occupied the Gaza Strip, initiating its decades-long military occupation of the Palestinian territories. The mid-1990s Oslo Accords established the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a limited governing authority, initially led by the secular party Fatah until that party's electoral defeat in 2006 to the Sunni Islamic Hamas. Hamas would then take over the governance of Gaza in a battle the next year, subsequently warring with Israel.In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its military forces from Gaza, dismantled its settlements, and implemented a temporary blockade of Gaza. The blockade became indefinite after the 2007 Hamas takeover, supported by Egypt through restrictions on its land border with Gaza. Despite the Israeli disengagement, the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many human-rights organizations continue to consider Gaza to be held under Israeli military occupation, due to what they consider Israel's effective military control over the territory; Israel disputes that it occupies the territory. The land, sea, and air blockade prevents people and goods from freely entering or leaving the territory, leading to Gaza often being called an "open-air prison." The UN, as well as at least 19 human-rights organizations, have urged Israel to lift the blockade. Israel has justified its blockade on the strip with wanting to stop flow of arms, but Palestinians and rights groups say it amounts to collective punishment and exacerbates dire living conditions.The Gaza Strip is 41 kilometres (25 miles) long, from 6 to 12 km (3.7 to 7.5 mi) wide, and has a total area of 365 km2 (141 sq mi). With around 2 million Palestinians on approximately 365 km2 (141 sq mi) of land, Gaza has one of the world's highest population densities. More than 70% of Gaza's population are refugees or descendents of refugees, half of whom are under the age of 18. Sunni Muslims make up most of Gaza's population, with a Palestinian Christian minority. Gaza has an annual population growth rate of 1.99% (2023 est.), the 39th-highest in the world. Gaza's unemployment rate is among the highest in the world, with an overall unemployment rate of 46% and a youth unemployment rate of 70%. The population has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Gaza has throughout the years been seen as a source of Palestinian nationalism and resistance.
Gaza ( GAH-zə; Arabic: غَزَّة, romanized: Ġazzah, IPA: [ˈɣazza] ), also called Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Before the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was the most populous city in the State of Palestine, with 590,481 in 2017.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BCE, Gaza has been dominated by different peoples and empires throughout its history. The Philistines made it a part of their pentapolis after the ancient Egyptians had ruled it for nearly 350 years. Under the Roman Empire, Gaza experienced relative peace and its Mediterranean port flourished. In 635 CE, it became the first city in the Palestine region to be conquered by the Rashidun army and quickly developed into a centre of Islamic law. However, by the time the Crusader states were established in 1099, Gaza was in ruins. In later centuries, Gaza experienced several hardships—from Mongol raids to severe flooding and locust swarms, reducing it to a village by the 16th century, when it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. During the first half of Ottoman rule, the Ridwan dynasty controlled Gaza and the city went through an age of great commerce and peace. The municipality of Gaza was established in 1893.Gaza fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of Mandatory Palestine. As a result of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly formed Gaza Strip territory and several improvements were undertaken in the city. Gaza was occupied by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967, and in 1993, the city was transferred to the newly created Palestinian National Authority. In the months following the 2006 election, an armed conflict broke out between the Palestinian political factions of Fatah and Hamas, resulting in the latter taking power in Gaza. The Gaza Strip was then subject to an Israeli-led, Egyptian-supported blockade. Israel eased the blockade allowing consumer goods in June 2010, and Egypt reopened the Rafah Border Crossing in 2011 to pedestrians.The primary economic activities of Gaza are small-scale industries and agriculture. However, the blockade and recurring conflicts have put the economy under severe pressure. The majority of Gaza's Palestinian inhabitants are Muslim, although there is also a Christian minority. Gaza has a very young population, with roughly 75% under the age of 25. The city is currently administered by a 14-member municipal council.As of March 2024, as part of the Israel–Hamas war, the Israeli army has bombed large portions of the city and surrounding areas of the Northern Gaza Strip, destroying many buildings and infrastructure. Almost all residents have fled or been evacuated to Southern Gaza, or killed as a result. Therefore, previous recorded or estimated population numbers have become outdated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasing calls for his resignation from both politicians within his government and world leaders due to the high death toll and destruction in Israel's war on Gaza. Netanyahu is under domestic pressure to secure the release of Israeli hostages seized during an attack by Hamas. Mass protests demanding Netanyahu's resignation have been ongoing, fueled by opposition to judicial reforms and concerns over hostages held in Gaza. The prime minister's popularity has declined as the conflict persists, with protesters in Tel Aviv calling for his resignation.
Mediators are making progress on a deal for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, with plans to release hostages and prisoners. Israel is considering expanding its offensive to Rafah while negotiations include the release of up to 40 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The proposed agreement involves a six-week pause in fighting with increased aid to Gaza. Pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas amidst ongoing protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
On 7 October 2023, as part of the Hamas-led attack on Israel at the beginning of the Israel–Hamas war, Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups abducted 253 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip, including children, women, and elderly people. In addition to hostages with only Israeli citizenship, almost half of the hostages are foreign nationals or have multiple citizenships. The precise ratio of soldiers and civilians among the captives is unknown. The captives are likely being held in different locations in the Gaza Strip.As of February 14, 2024, 112 hostages were returned alive to Israel, with 105 being released in a prisoner exchange deal, 4 were released by Hamas unilaterally and 3 hostages were rescued by the IDF. 11 bodies of hostages were repatriated to Israel, with 3 of the hostages killed by friendly fire from the IDF and the bodies of 8 hostages repatriated through military operations. 32 hostages were reportedly killed in Hamas captivity according to Israel. According to unconfirmed Israeli intelligence, at least 20 additional hostages may be deceased, with their bodies being held captive in Gaza. As of February 14, 2024, 134 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, with 130 hostages abducted on October 7, 2023 and four hostages having been captured earlier.Hamas has offered to release all hostages in exchange for Israel releasing all Palestinian prisoners. By October 2023, Israel held 5,200 Palestinians (including 170 juveniles) in its prisons. Hamas stated its objective was to secure their release. Several countries have been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Qatar taking the lead.On 22 November 2023, Israel and Hamas agreed to the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners and a four-day cease-fire in exchange for Hamas's release of approximately 50 of the hostages. The exchange involved hostages from the categories of women and children. As of 30 November 2023, the last day of the ceasefire, 105 civilian hostages had been released, which included 81 people from Israel, 23 Thais and one Filipino. On 12 February 2024, two Argentinian-Israeli civilians were rescued in Operation Golden Hand. As of January 2024, according to Israeli information, Hamas holds 108 hostages alive and 24 bodies.
Six months into Israel's war on Gaza, the UN Security Council passed a ceasefire resolution with US abstention, signaling Israel's international isolation. US-Israel tensions are strained due to differing approaches to Gaza's future and humanitarian issues. India prepares to vote, with PM Modi expected to secure a historic third term. Israel's mass surveillance on Palestinians using facial recognition has been exposed. While US and Israel navigate domestic political pressures, there are signs of mature statesmanship in addressing the Gaza conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has agreed to reschedule a planned meeting with US and Israeli officials to discuss a possible operation in Rafah, confirmed by the White House. The rescheduled meeting, originally canceled by Netanyahu, is considered an urgent priority, following objections to the US abstaining from a UN Security Council vote for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas, an acronym of its official name, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Arabic: حركة المقاومة الإسلامية, romanized: Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah, lit. 'Islamic Resistance Movement'), is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military movement governing parts of the occupied Gaza Strip.Hamas was founded by Palestinian imam and activist Ahmed Yassin in 1987, after the outbreak of the First Intifada against the Israeli occupation. It emerged from his 1973 Mujama al-Islamiya Islamic charity affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative election by campaigning on Palestinian armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, thus securing a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council. In 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip from rival Palestinian faction Fatah, which it has governed since separately from the Palestinian National Authority. This was followed by an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip with Egyptian support, and multiple wars with Israel, including in 2008–09, 2012, 2014, and 2021. The ongoing 2023 war began after Hamas launched an attack, killing both civilians and soldiers, and taking hostages back to Gaza. The attack has been described as the biggest military setback for Israel since the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, which Israel has responded to in an ongoing ground invasion of Gaza.Hamas promotes Palestinian nationalism in an Islamic context. While initially seeking a state in all of Mandatory Palestine, Hamas began acquiescing to 1967 borders in the agreements it signed with Fatah in 2005, 2006 and 2007 In 2017, Hamas released a new charter that supported a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders without recognizing Israel. Hamas's repeated offers of a truce (for a period of 10–100 years) based on the 1967 borders are seen by many as consistent with a two-state solution, while others say that Hamas retains the long-term objective of establishing one state in former Mandatory Palestine. The 1988 Hamas charter was widely described as antisemitic. The revised 2017 Hamas Charter stated that Hamas's struggle was with Zionists, not Jews. Hamas is widely popular in Palestinian society largely due to its anti-Israeli stance.Hamas has carried out attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, including suicide bombings and indiscriminate rocket attacks. These actions have led human rights groups to accuse it of war crimes, and Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Paraguay, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. In 2018, a motion at the United Nations to condemn Hamas was rejected.
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict in the Levant. Beginning in the mid-20th century, it is one of the world's longest-continuing conflicts. Key areas of the conflict include the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, borders, security, water rights, Palestinian freedom of movement, and the Palestinian right of return.The conflict has its origins in the arrival of Jewish immigrants and settlers to Palestine in the late 19th and 20th centuries and the advent of the Zionist movement. The local Arab population opposed Zionism, primarily out of fear of territorial displacement and dispossession. The Zionist movement garnered the support of an imperial power in the 1917 Balfour Declaration issued by Britain, which promised to support the creation of a "Jewish homeland in Palestine". Following World War I, Mandatory Palestine was established, and tensions grew into open sectarian conflict between Jews and Arabs. In 1936, an Arab revolt erupted demanding independence, which the British suppressed.The 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine triggered the 1948 Palestine war, which saw the expulsion and flight of most Palestinian Arabs, the establishment of Israel on most of the Mandate's territory, and the control of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank by Egypt and Jordan, respectively. In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (which became known as the Palestinian territories), which is now considered to be the longest military occupation in modern history, and has drawn international condemnation for violating the human rights of the Palestinians.The conflict has claimed many civilian casualties, mostly Palestinian, since its inception. Various attempts have been made to resolve the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, alongside efforts to resolve the broader Arab–Israeli conflict. Progress towards a negotiated solution between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was made with the Oslo Accords of 1993–1995. The majority of recent peace efforts have been centred around the two-state solution, which involves the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Public support for a two-state solution, which formerly enjoyed support from both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, has dwindled in recent years. Official negotiations are mediated by the Quartet on the Middle East, which consists of the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union. The Arab League, which has proposed the Arab Peace Initiative, is another important actor, along with Egypt and Jordan. Since 2006, the Palestinian side has been split between Fatah dominating the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas that gained control of the Gaza Strip. Attempts to remedy this have been repeated and continuing. Since 2019, the Israeli side has also been experiencing political crisis. The latest round of peace negotiations began in July 2013 but were suspended in 2014. Since 2006, Hamas and Israel have fought five wars, the most recent of which began in 2023 and is ongoing as of March 2024.
Truce talks between Israel and Hamas are set to resume in Cairo on Sunday after negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt for a six-week suspension of Israel's offensive in exchange for the release of 40 hostages were disrupted by Hamas' demands. Israel ruled out ending the fighting or withdrawing forces from Gaza and recalled negotiators from Qatar. Recent events include Israeli troops shooting dead two Palestinians on a Gaza beach, a ship convoy delivering 400 tonnes of food to Gaza, and ongoing protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Desperate locals in Gaza have been engaging in fatal fights to reach parachuted food and essentials from humanitarian aid airdrops, with concerns that the assistance is not effectively reaching those facing famine. A strawberry farmer abandoned attempts to reach aid drops after being shot at, highlighting the dangers. Reports include deaths by stabbing, drownings, and stampedes, with criticism of the airdrops as inefficient and costly, serving to deflect public anger amid the struggle to provide aid to Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has revealed plans for evacuating civilians from unspecified parts of Gaza as the Israeli army prepares for a potential ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah where over 1.5 million people are located.
The Biden administration has approved a weapons package for Israel, including over 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, amidst concerns over a potential military operation in southern Gaza. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. stated that Israel has not received all requested military arms. The decision has sparked criticism and calls for aid conditions. President Biden faces protests over U.S. support for Israel despite acknowledging Arab Americans' pain. The U.S. authorized billions worth of arms transfers to Israel, prompting backlash and an internal rift on U.S.-Israeli relations.
President Biden expressed concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to the conflict in Gaza, stating that he believes Netanyahu is hurting Israel more than helping. Biden emphasized the need for attention to innocent lives lost and warned of potential red lines that Israel should not cross. Despite his criticism, Biden reiterated unwavering U.S. support for Israel and highlighted efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid and negotiate a ceasefire in the region.
The 1948 Arab–Israeli War, also known as the First Arab–Israeli War, followed the civil war in Mandatory Palestine as the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had been issued earlier that day, and a military coalition of Arab states entered the territory of Mandatory Palestine in the morning of 15 May.The day after the 29 November 1947 adoption of the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine – which planned to divide the territory into an Arab state, a Jewish state, and the Special International Regime encompassing the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem – a civil war began. There had been tension and conflict between Arabs, Jews, and the British since the 1917 Balfour Declaration and the 1920 creation of the British Mandate of Palestine. British policies dissatisfied both Arabs and Jews. Arab opposition developed into the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, while the Jewish opposition developed into the 1944–1947 Jewish insurgency in Palestine.On 15 May 1948, the civil war transformed into a conflict between Israel and the Arab states following the Israeli Declaration of Independence the previous day. Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, and expeditionary forces from Iraq entered Palestine. The invading forces took control of the Arab areas and immediately attacked Israeli forces and several Jewish settlements. The 10 months of fighting took place mostly on the territory of the British Mandate and in the Sinai Peninsula and southern Lebanon, interrupted by several truce periods.As a result of the war, the State of Israel controlled the area that the UN had proposed for the Jewish state, as well as almost 60% of the area proposed for the Arab state, including the Jaffa, Lydda and Ramle area, Upper Galilee, some parts of the Negev and a wide strip along the Tel Aviv–Jerusalem road. Israel also took control of West Jerusalem, which was meant to be part of an international zone for Jerusalem and its environs. Transjordan took control of East Jerusalem and what became known as the West Bank, annexing it the following year. The territory which became the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt.Over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes in the area that became Israel, marking the beginning of the Palestinian refugee problem, in what they refer to as the Nakba (Arabic for "the catastrophe"). A similar number of Jews moved to Israel during the three years following the war, including 260,000 from the surrounding Arab states.
Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين, romanized: Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine (دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn), is a state in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Founded on 15 November 1988 and officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), it claims the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip as its territory, all of which have been Israeli-occupied territories since the 1967 Six-Day War. The West Bank contains 165 Palestinian enclaves that are under partial Palestinian rule, but the remainder, including 200 Israeli settlements, is under full Israeli control. The Gaza Strip was governed by Egypt but conquered by Israel in 1967. Israel governed the region until it withdrew in 2005. The United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and various human-rights organizations still consider Gaza to be held under Israeli military occupation – due to what they regard as Israel's effective military control over the territory – as well as under blockade by Israel and Egypt. Israel disputes this. Hamas seized power after winning the 2006 Palestinian legislative election.After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations (UN) adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine, which recommended the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem. Immediately after the United Nations General Assembly adopted the plan as Resolution 181, a civil war broke out in Palestine, and the plan was not implemented. The day after the establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, neighboring Arab countries invaded the former British Mandate and engaged Israeli forces in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Later, the All-Palestine Government was established by the Arab League on 22 September 1948 to govern the All-Palestine Protectorate in the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip. It was soon recognized by all Arab League members except Transjordan, which had occupied and later annexed the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Palestine is currently recognized by 138 of the 193 United Nations (UN) member states. Though jurisdiction of the All-Palestine Government was declared to cover the whole of the former Mandatory Palestine, its effective jurisdiction was limited to the Gaza Strip. During the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.On 15 November 1988 in Algiers, Yasser Arafat, as Chairman of the PLO, issued the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which established the State of Palestine. A year after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was formed to govern (in varying degrees) areas A and B in the West Bank, comprising 165 enclaves, and the Gaza Strip. After Hamas became the PNA parliament's leading party in the most recent elections (2006), a conflict broke out between it and the Fatah party, leading to the Gaza Strip being taken over by Hamas in 2007 (two years after the Israeli disengagement).The State of Palestine's mid-year population in 2021 was 5,227,193. Although Palestine claims Jerusalem as its capital, the city is under the control of Israel; both Palestinian and Israeli claims to the city are mostly unrecognized by the international community. Palestine is a member of the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the G77, the International Olympic Committee, as well as UNESCO, UNCTAD and the International Criminal Court. Following a failed attempt in 2011 to secure full United Nations member state status, the United Nations General Assembly voted in 2012 to recognize Palestine as a non-member observer state. On 26 February 2024, the Palestinian government collapsed, with the entire Palestinian government resigning, including the prime minister.
Four individuals, including three military observers and a Lebanese translator, were wounded in an explosion near the Blue Line that divides Lebanon and Israel, as reported by the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. The incident involved a UN patrol that was hit by an explosion, although the Israeli military denied reports of striking a UNIFIL vehicle. UNIFIL emphasized the need for safety and security for UN personnel, urging all parties to protect non-combatants and cease heavy exchanges of fire to prevent further harm. Israel has engaged in clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon during the Israel-Hamas war, resulting in casualties among Hezbollah fighters, civilians, and UN personnel.
A three-ship convoy has departed from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip carrying nearly 400 tonnes of food and supplies to address the imminent famine in the besieged enclave amidst Israel's ongoing war. The aid includes ready-to-eat items, such as rice, pasta, flour, legumes, canned vegetables, proteins, and dates, traditionally eaten during Ramadan. The mission, supported by the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, aims to assist Gazans facing hunger and displacement, with the US planning to build a floating pier for aid reception.
The Arab–Israeli conflict is the phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between various Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century. The roots of the Arab–Israeli conflict have been attributed to the support by Arab League member countries for the Palestinians, a fellow League member, in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict; this in turn has been attributed to the simultaneous rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism towards the end of the 19th century, though the two national movements had not clashed until the 1920s.Part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict arose from the conflicting claims by these movements to the land that formed the British Mandatory Palestine, which was regarded by the Jewish people as their ancestral homeland, while at the same time it was regarded by the Pan-Arab movement as historically and currently belonging to the Arab Palestinians, and in the Pan-Islamic context, as Muslim lands. The sectarian conflict within the British Mandate territory between Palestinian Jews and Arabs escalated into a full-scale Palestinian civil war in 1947. Taking the side of the Palestinian Arabs, especially following the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the neighbouring Arab countries invaded the by-then former Mandate territory in May 1948, commencing the First Arab–Israeli War. Large-scale hostilities mostly ended with ceasefire agreements after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Peace agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt in 1979, resulting in Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula and the abolition of the military governance system in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in favor of Israeli Civil Administration and consequent unilateral annexation of the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem.The nature of the conflict has shifted over the years from the large-scale, regional Arab–Israeli conflict to a more local Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which peaked during the 1982 Lebanon War when Israel intervened in the Lebanese Civil War to oust the Palestinian Liberation Organization from Lebanon. With the decline of the 1987–1993 First Intifada, the interim Oslo Accords led to the creation of the Palestinian National Authority in 1994, within the context of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. The same year, Israel and Jordan reached a peace accord. In 2002, the Arab League offered recognition of Israel by Arab countries as part of the resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in the Arab Peace Initiative. The initiative, which has been reconfirmed since, calls for normalizing relations between the Arab League and Israel, in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from the occupied territories (including East Jerusalem) and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on UN Resolution 194. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a ceasefire had been largely maintained between Israel and Syria, while limited warfare continued in Lebanon against Iranian proxy militias. Despite the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, the interim peace accords with the Palestinian Authority and the generally existing ceasefire, until the mid-2010s the Arab League and Israel had remained at odds with each other over many issues. Among Arab belligerents in the conflict, Iraq and Syria are the only states who have reached no formal peace accord or treaty with Israel, with both supporting Iran.The Syrian civil war reshuffled the situation near Israel's northern border, putting the Syrian Arab Republic, Hezbollah and the Syrian opposition at odds with each other and complicating their relations with Israel, upon the emerging warfare with Iran. The conflict between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza, is also attributed to the Iran–Israel proxy conflict. By 2017, Israel and several Arab Sunni states led by Saudi Arabia formed a semi-official coalition to confront Iran. This move and the Israeli normalization with Gulf states was marked by some as the fading of the Arab–Israeli conflict.
Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Jewish identity or ethnicity, and were first established after Israel's victory in the Six-Day War of June 1967. The international community considers Israeli settlements to be illegal under international law, but Israel disputes this.Currently, Israeli settlements exist in the West Bank (incl. East Jerusalem), which is claimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sovereign territory of the State of Palestine, and in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as a part of the sovereign territory of Syria. Through the Jerusalem Law and the Golan Heights Law, Israel effectively annexed both territories, though the international community has rejected any change to their status as occupied territory. Although Israel's West Bank settlements have been built on territory administered under military rule rather than civil law, Israeli civil law is "pipelined" into the settlements, such that Israeli citizens living there are treated similarly to those living in Israel. Israel's regulated expansion of existing settlements and construction of new settlements across the West Bank has been condemned by the international community and criticized as an obstacle to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process. In Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2004), the International Court of Justice found that Israel's settlements and the then-nascent Israeli West Bank barrier were both in violation of international law; part of the latter has been constructed within the West Bank instead of on Israel's side of the Green Line.As of January 2023, there are 144 Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including 12 in East Jerusalem; Israel administers the West Bank as the Judea and Samaria Area, which does not include East Jerusalem. In addition to the settlements, the West Bank is also hosting over 100 Israeli outposts, which are settlements that have not been authorized by the Israeli government. In total, over 450,000 Israeli settlers residing in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, with an additional 220,000 Israeli settlers residing in East Jerusalem. Additionally, over 25,000 Israeli settlers live in Syria's Golan Heights. Between 1967 and 1982, there were 18 settlements established in the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, though these were dismantled by Israel after the Egypt–Israel peace treaty of 1979. Additionally, as part of the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Israel dismantled all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank.Per the Fourth Geneva Convention, the transfer by an occupying power of its civilian population into the territory it is occupying constitutes a war crime, although Israel disputes that this statute applies to the West Bank. On 20 December 2019, the International Criminal Court announced the opening of an investigation of war crimes in the Palestinian territories. The presence and ongoing expansion of existing settlements by Israel and the construction of outposts is frequently criticized as an obstacle to peace by the PLO, and by a number of third parties, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the United Nations (UN), Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and the European Union. The UN has repeatedly upheld the view that Israel's construction of settlements in the occupied territories constitutes a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. For decades, the United States also designated Israeli settlements as illegal, but the Trump administration reversed this long-standing policy in November 2019, declaring that "the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law"; this new policy, in turn, was reversed to the original by the Biden administration in February 2024, once again classifying Israeli settlement expansion as "inconsistent with international law" and matching the official positions of the other three members of the Middle East Quartet.
Israelis in Jerusalem, particularly at the Machane Yehuda food market, expressed disappointment with Senator Schumer's comments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Gaza war and his suggestion for new elections, stating that it is not Schumer's place to interfere in Israel's politics. They believe President Biden is turning on Israel for his own political interests before the U.S. national elections. Netanyahu criticized Schumer's comments as inappropriate. Israelis emphasized their ability to handle their own politics and affirmed their democratic values.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has personally inspected the situation at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Israel in view of the low levels of aid supplies reaching the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. Baerbock was informed by the director of the facility about how lorries loaded with relief supplies, including food and medicine, are processed at a huge check-in area, which is divided by high concrete walls. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is disastrous as Palestinians in the sealed-off coastal area lack basic necessities such as food, water and medicine. The United Nations has warned of an imminent famine, with around 1.1 million people in the densely populated Gaza Strip in a desperate situation.
Hundreds of Christians, mostly local, participated in the traditional Good Friday procession in Jerusalem's Old City, with thinner crowds due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The procession, led by Palestinian Arab scouts and joined by some foreigners and tourists, passed along the Way of the Cross, rerouted by Israeli police barricades. The atmosphere was somber as Palestinian Christians commemorated Jesus Christ's crucifixion, expressing sadness over the war situation and the thousands of Palestinians killed in Israel's offensive in Gaza.
The father of Shani Louk, a woman killed by Hamas during their attacks on Israel, defended a photojournalism award given to a freelancer who captured her dead body. The image, which displayed Louk's body in a Hamas truck, sparked backlash but was supported by her father, Nissim Louk. The photo won the Reynolds Journalism Institute's Team Picture Story of the Year, leading to debates on journalistic ethics and the portrayal of violence in media. Amid criticisms, Nissim Louk expressed that the image memorializes his daughter's tragedy and historical significance.
Israel has deployed a mass facial recognition program in Gaza, utilizing technology from Corsight and Google Photos to identify Palestinians affiliated with Hamas. The program, operated by the Israel Defense Forces' Unit 8200, has led to mistaken identifications and detainment of individuals like Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha. Google Photos' search function has been used alongside Corsight's technology, despite objections from Google's parent company Alphabet. Corsight has also been involved in aiding Israeli hospitals and law enforcement. The facial recognition program has raised concerns about human rights violations and discriminatory practices in the region.
A powerful pro-Israel group gathered donors at a summit outside Washington, where a video montage targeted top Democrats in primaries, including Rep. Jamaal Bowman and his challenger, George Latimer. The tensions over the Israel-Gaza war have become focal points in Democratic primaries from New York to Pennsylvania to Missouri, reflecting divisions in the party. Bowman, a Black Congressman, criticized Israel's military response to Hamas' attacks, drawing parallels between Israeli treatment of Palestinians and US police treatment of Black Americans.
Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz is set to meet senior Biden administration officials during his visit to the United States, signaling a widening split in Tel Aviv amidst the Gaza war. Gantz's visit has enraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with disagreements over aid to Gaza and post-war governance. Vice President Kamala Harris's meeting with Gantz aims to push for a temporary ceasefire and aid for Gaza. The US has started airdrops of aid into Gaza, bypassing Israeli restrictions. Netanyahu's popularity has dropped due to perceived failures during the war, with calls for early elections in Israel.
Protesters from Extinction Rebellion NYC's Palestinian Solidarity group disrupted a traditional Easter Vigil Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, unfurling a flag with 'SILENCE = DEATH' and chanting 'Free, free Palestine.' Security intervened, removing the protesters as onlookers filmed. The USCCB has called for peace in the Middle East amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A three-ship convoy carrying 400 tons of food and supplies, organized by World Central Kitchen, departed from Cyprus to Gaza to address concerns of hunger in the region. The convoy includes ready-to-eat items and traditional Ramadan foods. The United Nations warns of a potential famine in northern Gaza, with 1.7 million people displaced and lacking essentials. The delivery is part of ongoing aid efforts by World Central Kitchen amid challenges in Gaza, including destruction of infrastructure and casualties from the conflict. The convoy also highlights geopolitical tensions and the need for increased humanitarian aid.
Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg, a Republican, openly advocated for the use of nuclear weapons on Gaza to help Israel swiftly eliminate Hamas during a town hall meeting in Dundee. He referenced Nagasaki and Hiroshima, dismissing humanitarian aid for Palestinians. The controversial comments came amidst the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, with Gaza facing famine and casualties on both sides.
Raf Sanchez TEL AVIV Israel believes the chances of a ceasefire deal in the near future are 50/50 right now, an Israeli official told NBC News today. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Israel and the U.S. were waiting on a Hamas response to a proposal hammered out in recent days in Qatar. CIA director Bill Burns attended the recent meetings in the small but wealthy Gulf nation, they said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; Hebrew: צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , lit. 'The Army for the Defense of Israel'), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Tzahal (צה״ל), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and the Israeli Navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security apparatus. The IDF is headed by the Chief of the General Staff, who is subordinate to the Israeli Defense Minister.On the orders of David Ben-Gurion, the IDF was formed on 26 May 1948 and began to operate as a conscript military, drawing its initial recruits from the already-existing paramilitaries of the Yishuv—namely Haganah, the Irgun, and Lehi. It was formed shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence, and has participated in every armed conflict involving Israel. In the wake of the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty and the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, the IDF underwent a significant strategic realignment. Previously spread across various fronts—Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and Iraq in the east, and Egypt in the south—the IDF redirected its focus towards southern Lebanon and its occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In 2000, the IDF withdrew from Southern Lebanon and in 2005 from Gaza. Conflict between Israel and Islamist groups based in Gaza, notably Hamas, has continued since then. Moreover, notable Israeli–Syrian border incidents have occurred frequently since 2011, due to regional instability caused by the Syrian civil war.Since 1967, the IDF maintains a close security relationship with the United States, including in research and development cooperation, with joint efforts on the F-15I, the Tactical High-Energy Laser, and the Arrow defense systen, among others. The IDF is believed to have maintained an operational nuclear weapons capability since 1967, possibly possessing between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads.
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza Strip along the southwest. Tel Aviv is the financial, economic, and technological center of the country, while its seat of government is in its proclaimed capital of Jerusalem, although Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is unrecognized internationally.Israel is located in the Southern Levant, a region known historically as Canaan, Palestine, or the Holy Land. In antiquity, it was home to several Canaanite, Israelite and Jewish kingdoms, and is referred to as the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition. The region was ruled by powers such as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Achaemenids, Greeks, and Romans. During Roman rule, Jews became a minority in Palestine. The region later came under Byzantine and Arab rule. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Islamic Caliphates, the Crusader Kingdom, and the Ottoman Empire. The late 19th century saw the rise of Zionism, a movement advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland. Under the British Mandate placed by the League of Nations after World War I, Jewish immigration to the region increased considerably leading to intercommunal conflict between Jews and the Arab majority. The 1947 UN partition plan triggered a civil war between these groups which would see the expulsion or fleeing of most Palestinians from Mandatory Palestine. The British terminated the Mandate on 14 May 1948, and Israel declared independence on the same day.On 15 May 1948, the armies of five neighboring Arab states invaded the area of the former Mandatory Palestine, starting the First Arab–Israeli War. An armistice in 1949 left Israel in control of more territory than the UN partition plan had called for; no new Arab state was created, as the rest of the former Mandate territory was divided between Egypt, which occupied the Gaza Strip, and Jordan, which annexed the West Bank. The 1967 Six-Day War ended with Israel occupying both the West Bank and Gaza alongside the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and the Syrian Golan Heights. Israel has since effectively annexed both East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and has established settlements across the occupied territories, actions which are deemed illegal under international law. Since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt, returning the Sinai Peninsula, and with Jordan, and more recently normalized relations with several Arab countries. However, efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not succeeded. Israel's practices, in the longest military occupation in modern history, have drawn international condemnation for violating the human rights of the Palestinians.The country has a parliamentary system elected by proportional representation. The prime minister serves as head of government, and is elected by the Knesset, Israel's unicameral legislature. Israel has the highest Human Development Index of all countries in the Middle East and is one of the richest countries in the Middle East and Asia, and an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member since 2010. It has the highest standards of living in the Middle East, and has been ranked as one of the most advanced and technological countries, with a population of nearly 10 million people, as of 2023. It has the world's 29th-largest economy by nominal GDP and 16th by nominal GDP per capita.
The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Arabic: ميثاق حركة المقاومة الإسلامية حماس), referred to as the Hamas Covenant or Hamas Charter, was issued by Hamas (the Islamic Resistance Movement) on 18 August 1988 and outlines the organization's founding identity, positions, and aims. In 2017, Hamas unveiled a revised charter, without explicitly revoking the 1988 charter.The original Charter identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and described its members to be god-fearing Muslims raising the banner of Jihad (armed struggle) in "the face of the oppressors." The charter defines the struggle to be against the Jews and calls for the eventual creation of an Islamic Palestinian state in all of former Mandatory Palestine, and the obliteration or dissolution of Israel. The charter has been criticized for it use of antisemitic language, which some commentators have characterized as incitement to genocide. Hamas's 2017 charter removed the antisemitic language and clarified Hamas's struggle was with Zionists, not Jews.Since choosing to run candidates for office in elections, Hamas has downplayed the role of its charter. In direct contradiction of the Charter, in 2008 Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated that Hamas would agree to accept a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders, and to offer a long-term truce with Israel. In 2010, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal stated that the Charter is "a piece of history and no longer relevant, but cannot be changed for internal reasons". Meshaal also stated that Hamas was ending its association with the Muslim Brotherhood.Unlike the 1988 Charter, the 2017 charter accepted a Palestinian state within the borders that existed before 1967 and maintained Hamas's refusal to recognize the State of Israel, which it terms the "Zionist entity". The 2017 charter refers to an Israeli state within the pre-1967 borders as a transitional state while also advocating for the "liberation of all of Palestine". Views on the 2017 document varied. While some welcomed it as a sign of increased political maturity, an attempt to bridge the gap between moderates and hardliners within Hamas, and a potential step on the way to peace, many others, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, dismissed it as a merely cosmetic effort designed to make Hamas sound more palatable while changing nothing about Hamas' underlying aims and methods.
A recent Israeli High Court ruling aims to curtail subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to present a plan to address the issue by Monday. The court criticized a system that privileges the ultra-Orthodox at the expense of the country's majority, endangering Netanyahu's political standing.
Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital (English: al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital) is the only hospital located in the middle area of the Gaza Strip in Deir al-Balah and was founded in 2001. As of 2018, this hospital is one of fifteen public hospitals in the Gaza Strip and is managed by UNRWA, The Ministry of Health, and various NGOs. The hospital until recently served an estimated 18,000 patients each month. According to The Ministry of Health, the hospital's emergency department had over 11,000 visits. In 2018, the hospital had 166 beds.
The United States has expressed support for the formation of a new Palestinian autonomy government as a step towards Palestinian political reform, aiming to revitalize the Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has not faced an election in almost two decades, leads the authority, which the U.S. sees as crucial post-war. The new cabinet, headed by U.S.-educated economist Mohammad Mustafa, includes technocrats and Fatah members, with plans to establish stability and deliver reforms.
Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu (Hebrew: יוֹנָתָן נְתַנְיָהוּ; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an Israeli military officer who commanded Sayeret Matkal during the Entebbe raid. The raid was launched in response to the 1976 hijacking of an international civilian passenger flight from Israel to France by Palestinian and German militants, who took control of the aircraft during a stopover in Greece and diverted it to Libya and then to Uganda, where they received support from Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Though Israel's counter-terrorist operation was a success, with 102 of the 106 hostages being rescued, Netanyahu was killed in action – the only Israeli soldier killed during the crisis.The eldest son of the Israeli professor Benzion Netanyahu, Yonatan was born in New York City and spent much of his youth in the United States, where he attended high school. After serving in the Israeli military during the Six-Day War, he briefly attended Harvard University before transferring to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1968; soon thereafter, he left his studies and returned to military service in Israel. He joined Sayeret Matkal in the early 1970s and was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War. After his death, Operation Entebbe was renamed "Operation Yonatan" in his honor.Benjamin Netanyahu, Yonatan's younger brother, has served as Israel's prime minister three times (1996–1999, 2009–2021, and 2022–present). Both Benjamin and their younger brother Iddo Netanyahu have also served in Sayeret Matkal.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Arabic: كتائب شهداء الأقصى; Romanised Kataeb Shuhada Al-Aqsa) is a coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank. The organization has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.
A U.S. intelligence assessment raises concerns about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, citing a lack of confidence exacerbated by recent events. The report suggests a possible shift to a more moderate government in Israel and predicts increased international pressure due to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Critics view the report as an attempt to influence Israeli voters, with accusations of foreign interference in Israeli democracy.
Rabbis at Adas Israel in Northwest Washington plan to dress up as Barbie dolls for Purim, symbolizing breaking free from assumed roles. The celebration is overshadowed by the Israel-Gaza war, with divisions on how to observe Purim in light of the ongoing conflict. While Tel Aviv canceled its Purim parade, Jerusalem plans to proceed amid criticism from families of hostages. Jewish Americans in the D.C. region are grappling with the juxtaposition of joyous festivities and the somber reality of the war, contemplating the holiday's meaning in these unprecedented times.
The Republic of Ireland is intervening in a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to determine if genocide is being committed against Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa brought the case to the ICJ, with Ireland asserting its interpretation of the Genocide Convention without taking a specific side on the genocide allegations. Other countries like Belgium, Nicaragua, and France also intend to intervene. Israel denies the allegations, stating that Hamas is responsible for violence. The ICJ, unlike the ICC, provides advisory opinions on legal matters and cannot prosecute individuals for genocide.
Israel's Supreme Court has ruled to dismantle a system that privileges ultra-Orthodox men with exemptions from military service, leading to resentment among the broader public amid ongoing conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until Monday to present a new plan following the court's decision. The ruling, which deems the current system discriminatory, has raised concerns about the viability of Netanyahu's coalition government. The court's interim order will freeze government funding for religious students of enlistment age who do not have army deferrals.
Palestinians (Arabic: الفلسطينيون, al-Filasṭīniyyūn; Hebrew: פָלַסְטִינִים, Fālasṭīnīm) or Palestinian people (الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha‘b al-Filasṭīnī), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs (العرب الفلسطينيون, al-ʿArab al-Filasṭīniyyūn), are an ethnonational group descending from peoples who have inhabited the region of Palestine over the millennia, and who today are culturally and linguistically Arab.Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one half of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the territory of former Mandatory Palestine, now encompassing Israel and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Israel proper, Palestinians constitute almost 21 percent of the population as part of its Arab citizens. Many are Palestinian refugees or internally displaced Palestinians, including more than a million in the Gaza Strip, around 750,000 in the West Bank, and around 250,000 in Israel proper. Of the Palestinian population who live abroad, known as the Palestinian diaspora, more than half are stateless, lacking legal citizenship in any country. 2.1 million of the diaspora population are registered as refugees in neighboring Jordan, most of whom hold Jordanian citizenship; over 1 million live between Syria and Lebanon, and about 750,000 live in Saudi Arabia, with Chile holding the largest Palestinian diaspora concentration (around half a million) outside of the Arab world.In 1919, Palestinian Muslims and Palestinian Christians constituted 90 percent of the population of Palestine, just before the third wave of Jewish immigration and the setting up of British Mandatory Palestine after World War I. Opposition to Jewish immigration spurred the consolidation of a unified national identity, though Palestinian society was still fragmented by regional, class, religious, and family differences. The history of the Palestinian national identity is a disputed issue amongst scholars. For some, the term "Palestinian" is used to refer to the nationalist concept of a Palestinian people by Palestinian Arabs from the late 19th century and in the pre-World War I period, while others assert the Palestinian identity encompasses the heritage of all eras from biblical times up to the Ottoman period. After the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the 1948 Palestinian expulsion, and more so after the 1967 Palestinian exodus, the term "Palestinian" evolved into a sense of a shared future in the form of aspirations for a Palestinian state.Founded in 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization is an umbrella organization for groups that represent the Palestinian people before international states. The Palestinian National Authority, officially established in 1994 as a result of the Oslo Accords, is an interim administrative body nominally responsible for governance in Palestinian population centres in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since 1978, the United Nations has observed an annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. According to British historian Perry Anderson, it is estimated that half of the population in the Palestinian territories are refugees, and that they have collectively suffered approximately US$300 billion in property losses due to Israeli confiscations, at 2008–2009 prices.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's popularity has surged in the polls following criticism from the Biden administration and Democrats, including remarks from New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer calling for new elections. Polls suggest Netanyahu could gain additional parliamentary seats, potentially forming a new government. Mideast expert Caroline Glick notes that criticism from Schumer and the White House may inadvertently strengthen Netanyahu politically.
Pope Francis led 30,000 people in Easter celebrations at St Peter's Square, urging for peace with open hearts and hands. He made a plea for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, highlighting the importance of peace. Despite battling respiratory issues, the Pope appeared in good form during the Mass. The Vatican reported 30,000 attendees at the service, with additional crowds outside the venue, emphasizing the significance of Easter Mass in the liturgical calendar.
Pope Francis urged for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of Israeli captives, and access to humanitarian aid in his Easter Sunday address. He highlighted the suffering of children in war zones, calling war an absurdity. Despite recent health concerns, he presided over mass and delivered blessings. Easter commemorates Jesus rising from the dead. Francis interacted with crowds in his popemobile after the service.
"Saturday Night Live" aired a satirical television special featuring a skit with former President Donald Trump selling Trump-branded bibles and making comedic political references. Comedian Ramy Youssef, the host, touched on the Israel-Hamas war and shared prayers for peace in Palestine. Youssef reflected on his interactions with the Biden campaign and expressed uncertainty about the upcoming election. He also advocated for peace and justice for the Palestinian people.
People across Germany on Saturday joined the country's traditional Easter marches that emerged from last century's peace movement, with marchers this year calling for an end to fighting in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. The marches against nuclear weapons and in favour of peace have been held over Easter for more than 60 years. The main day of action is Saturday, with around 70 events scheduled to take place across the country. In Berlin, some 3,500 people joined this year's Easter March, according to police estimates. More than 1,000 marched for peace in the northern city of Bremen, while several hundred joined demonstrations in Cologne, Duisburg, Saarbrucken, Leipzig and Kassel.
An Oxford rower attributed their team's defeat in the Boat Race to an outbreak of E coli causing sickness among team members. Despite warnings of pollution in the River Thames before the race, Cambridge claimed victory in both men's and women's events. While one rower highlighted the impact of illness on their performance, a teammate refrained from blaming water conditions directly. The event was also marred by rival Gaza protests in London and incidents like a train stabbing and an attack on an Iranian journalist.
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