Explained: Revisiting Israel-Palestine historical conflict amid new escalation by Hamas

The firing of more than 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip broke the dawn of Saturday (Oct 7), with Israelis woke up to one of the bloodiest terror attacks launched by Hamas while breaking the impregnable Iron Dome defence system of Tel Aviv and infiltrating the country by breaching its security barriers.

The fighters from the terrorist outfit Hamas entered the country on foot, vehicles, paragliders and boats, and Israel was caught off-guard by this sudden escalation, being seen as a “major intelligence failure”.

In a recorded message, the leader of Hamas’ military wing Mohammed Deif said, “Enough is enough”, as he appealed to Palestinians to take part in “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”, which is being called the biggest military offensive by Hamas in years.

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Speaking about the 'Operation Al-Aqsa Storm' being termed as the biggest attack on Israel to WION, spokesperson for Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon Guy Nir said, “It is called the biggest terror attack because of the sheer magnitude of the event. Over 600 Israelis have been murdered and many have been held hostage.”

Root cause: The historical conflict between Israel and Palestine

In World War I, after the Ottoman Empire fell, Palestine – which had a population divided between Arab majority and Jewish minority, went under the control of Britain. Britain was given the task of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine by the international community, which led to increased tensions between Arabs and Jews.

The demand for a Jewish homeland emerged as part of an ethno-nationalist movement called Zionism - which started in the late 19th century and aimed at creating a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.

In the wake of World War II and the Nazi Holocaust of Jewish people, the demand for a Jewish nation increased and it gained the support of the people. Many Jews fled Europe to save themselves from persecution, and Palestine saw a sudden influx of Jewish immigrants in the 1920s and 1940s.

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As tensions escalated between Arabs and Jews, the resistance to the British regime intensified further. The United Nations adopted a partition plan in 1947, according to which Palestine was to be divided into separate Jewish and Arab states and Jerusalem was to remain under international administration.

The plan was accepted by the Jewish leadership, however, the Arabs rejected it and it was never implemented. Immediately after the partition plan was adopted, a war broke out between Arabs and Zionist settlers who were entering Palestine.

The founding of Israel was proclaimed by the Jewish leaders, with the support of the British authorities and the United Nations, in 1948. The war saw intervention by neighbouring Arab countries with military force.

In 1949, the first Arab-Israeli War ended with the victory of Israel and 750,000 Palestinians were reportedly displaced, which they called Al Nakba, or "The Catastrophe".

Also read: Gaza Strip and the struggle for survival for millions of its residents

The territory was divided into three parts - the Arab West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Jewish Israel. To date, the conflict remains unresolved.

Israel's war with Hamas and the looming question of a 'third Intifada'

Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, also known by the acronym Hamas, was founded in 1987 by Palestinian cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as a transnational Sunni Islamist organisation.

Hamas was involved in two Palestinian uprisings, also known as 'intifadas', which took place from 1987 to 1993 and 2000 to 2005, and ended the peace process between the two countries, as they entered in a new phase of conflict.

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“Intifada” is an Arabic term which means to ‘shake off’. In December 1987, it came into popular usage as Palestinians used it to term their uprising against the presence of Israelis in Gaza and the West Bank.

Since the latest and unprecedented attacks were carried out by Hamas, some of the experts called it the beginning of the “Third Intifada”.

As Hamas launched a barrage of rockets, it appealed to the West Bank and the Arab and Islamic worlds to take part in this war against Israel.

Speaking about the intentions of Hamas behind the latest salvo against Israel, the spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to India said, “The intent is to instill fear in the minds of the people of Israel. They are launching terror attacks at civilians and kidnaping, raping, and murdering children as well as women and elderly.”

“Israel has to defend its civilians, and we will do what is needed to achieve that goal. I think the Israel Defense Forces' response will not encourage any Hamas terrorist to act," he added.

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