FLASH
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The Palestinian group, Hamas, launched a surprise attack from Gaza into Israel on October 7.
The event was described as one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years.
When was Hamas founded?
Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, was founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian uprising. It is backed by Shiite Iran and shares the Islamic ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was established in Egypt in the 1920s.
Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, after a brief civil war with forces loyal to the Fatah movement, which is led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He is based in the West Bank and also heads the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
Hamas' takeover of Gaza followed its victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 – also the last time they were held. Hamas accused Abbas of plotting against him, while Abbas described what happened as a coup.
Since then, there have been frequent outbreaks of conflict with Israel.
Hamas refuses to recognize the state of Israel and violently opposes the Oslo Peace Accords negotiated by Israel and the PLO in the mid-1990s.
Hamas has an armed wing, called the Izz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, which sends gunmen and suicide bombers into Israel. Hamas characterizes its armed activities as resistance against the Israeli occupation.
The group is part of a regional alliance that includes Iran, Syria and the Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah in Lebanon. All of them broadly oppose US policy in the Middle East and Israel.
While based in Gaza, Hamas has supporters throughout the Palestinian territories and has leaders spread throughout the Middle East.
Hamas as a whole – or in some cases its military wing – is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, the European Union and Great Britain, as well as other powers.
Where is the Gaza Strip?
The Gaza Strip is a territory 41 kilometers long and 10 km wide between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. About 2.3 million people live there.
Israel controls the airspace over Gaza and its coastline, and restricts who and what goods can enter and exit through its border crossings. Similarly, Egypt controls who enters and exits through its border with Gaza.
According to the United Nations, about 80% of Gaza's population depends on international aid.
How did the latest violence break out?
There are ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas, but the latest attack came without warning. Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel as dozens of its fighters crossed the border and invaded Israeli communities, killing dozens of civilians and taking others captive.
Israel immediately launched airstrikes, saying it was targeting militant facilities in Gaza. Local officials said more than 200 people were killed.
Where does the problem lie?
The West Bank and Gaza, which are known as Palestinian territories, as well as East Jerusalem and Israel have been part of the land known as Palestine since Roman times.
These were also the lands of the Jewish kingdoms in the Bible and are seen by Jews as their ancient homeland.
Israel was declared a state in 1948, although the land is still called Palestine by those who do not recognize Israel's right to exist.
Palestinians also use the name Palestine as an umbrella term for the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem./REL
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