JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As we cover the brutal fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip, we want to take a moment to go over the key names that are dominating headlines across the globe.
We know you may have questions about who’s involved, where the fighting is happening and, and perhaps most importantly, why.
Gaza. Hamas. Hezbollah. Palestine.
These are words the world is hearing right now as war reignites in the Middle East. But do we really understand the meaning behind each of these? And what’s the backstory? We gathered information by sourcing a dozen or so outlets from the BBC to the AP and New York Times to Turkish public television.
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Let’s start with Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world with 2.3 million residents. It’s a small strip of land that is about 25 miles by 6 miles, about the size of Washington D.C. By our calculations, it’s about 1/6th the size of Jacksonville.
It’s part of the state of Palestine, which also includes Jerusalem and the West Bank, sites seen as holy by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike.
It shares a border with Israel and Egypt with very strict crossing points into each country on the north and south side of the strip. The rest of the border is filled with barbed wire and fences. Some describe Gaza, at least for residents there, as the world’s largest open-air prison because many can’t leave. Most cannot even go to other Palestinian areas like the West End and Jerusalem. That’s led to poverty and a lack of economic development.
The first attacks from Hamas were in Israeli cities near the Gaza Strip. You’ll hear about Ashkelon and Ashdod. They’re in between Gaza and Israel’s capital of Tel Aviv. The death toll there has surpassed 700
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Hamas is a Palestinian militant group that took power in Gaza in 2007. The U.S. and European Union consider it to be a terrorist organization, as it’s backed by Iran. That has led to blockades at the border crossings from Israel and Egypt, making access to food, fresh water, and supplies a struggle for people living in Gaza. This has only heightened tensions and worsened conditions for Gazans.
Monday, the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called for peace on both sides.
“I recognize the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people. But nothing can justify these acts of terror and the killing, maiming and abduction of civilians,” Guterres said. “I reiterate my call to immediately cease these attacks and release all hostages.”
New York Times | Maps: Tracking the Attacks in Israel and Gaza
Many believe Hamas has taken Israelis captive to pressure Israeli leaders to free some of the 4,500 Palestinians they’ve incarcerated. It could also be retaliation for the deadliest year on record for Palestinians in the Israel-occupied West Bank.
Israel has fired back, literally, by sending rockets and missiles and air strikes into Gaza, killing hundreds, and wounding many more hundreds.
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To make it even more complicated, there’s another Iran-backed group called Hezbollah. Hezbollah members occupy Lebanon to the north after forming in 1982 in response to an Israeli invasion there. Reports are that Hezbollah is helping Hamas in targeting Israeli fighters with rockets. That makes the attacks harder to defend for Israel.
This comes after decades of conflict where both sides have blood on their hands.
There was the 1948 Palestine War for independence.
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Since then, it changed hands from Egypt and Israel, then Palestine. Islamic Hamas took over in 2007, sparking relentless conflict with primarily Jewish Israel, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks resulting in the deaths of, according to the UN, more than 6,400 Palestinians and over 300 Israelis.
With the death toll climbing from both sides of the fight, it could be the deadliest period in the conflict’s 75-year history.